


The Last Knydaxian 3: Race Against Time

by Arendellecitizen, mattanimaniac



Series: The Last Knydaxian: The Complete Saga [4]
Category: Frozen (2013), Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny, Mass Effect - All Media Types, Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Elsanna - Freeform, F/F, F/M, M/M, Pharmercy - Freeform, Sequel, Some Fluff, Some angst, some smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2019-01-17 06:27:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 67,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12359478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arendellecitizen/pseuds/Arendellecitizen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mattanimaniac/pseuds/mattanimaniac
Summary: When Elsa Frost and her crew are saved by a mysterious armoured warrior, they embark on a quest to stop the villainous Saren and his Geth army from unleashing an ancient menace on the galaxy and stop a horrible future from coming to pass. (Elsanna, Crossover with several other series, Sci-fi AU, Part of The Last Knydaxian saga)





	1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: If you haven't read all the previous Last Knydaxian fics, please do so before reading this fic. Otherwise, you will be lost completely and won't know what the hell is going on._

 

Chapter 1

 

_Captain's log, stardate 50247.3. Captain Elsa Frost speaking. The Archangel is on patrol in the territory of the former warlord, Emperor Zurg. Three months ago, A Galactic Alliance fleet attacked Planet Z, Zurg's base of operations, and destroyed most of his forces. Zurg himself, however, remains at large. Our mission is destroy anything that may have survived the Alliance attack._

"So you still haven't found that purple-faced bastard," Commander Shepard mused as she, Eric, and Elsa shared a three-way holo-call.

"Not yet," Elsa admitted. "I'm surprised he'd even show his face after what the Alliance did on Planet Z."

"Zurg was always a crafty bastard," Eric mused. "But he was always a bit of a coward."

"Still, taking out a few of his outlying outposts will make travel in this sector a lot more easier," Elsa stated. "And if it's good for galactic peace, it's good enough for me."

Eric chuckled. "You just love being the hero, don't you?"

"And you don't?" Shepard asked him.

"I'll admit I've done good things for the galaxy," Eric stated. "But I don't consider myself a hero. Just a soldier who follows orders and does what's best for his family. Speaking of which, how are Melody and Ariel doing?"

"Doing fine, Eric," Elsa told him. "Speaking of you, what's your current assignment got you doing?"

"Buzz and I have been trying to track down some new Cerberus unit," he explained. "I believe you heard of the Tixus massacre a few weeks back?"

"Oh yeah, that was gruesome," Elsa acknowledged. A few weeks prior, an Alliance colony on Tixus IV had been attacked by an unknown enemy, and there were no survivors. "You think Cerberus was behind the attack?"

"No idea; we're more or less just following a hunch right now. I'll let you know if we find something. If Cerberus has something that can level a colony like that, we're gonna need all the backup we can get."

"Sounds bad," Shepard admitted.

"Don't worry Eric, I think you're quite close to our position," Elsa told him. "If you need help, we'll be there."

"The same for you, Elsa," Eric replied.

"What about you, Jane?" Elsa asked. "What are you up to?"

Shepard shrugged. "I'm currently in the Terminus systems, making a patrol run."

"Not as glamorous as our assignments then," Eric remarked.

"Well, I call it a vacation," Shepard admitted. "Besides, it's helping me get to know a few of my new crew, like Garrus and Wrex."

"Who'd have thought the Krogan chieftain would join a starship crew?" Eric remarked.

"He's not just the chieftain, he's a total hardass. But he's become quite a good friend to the crew, including me."

Elsa stretched her arms. "Well guys, it's been a nice little chat, but I've got other duties to attend to. Like teaching Anna to play poker."

"That should be fun," Shepard said with a sly smirk.

"In that case, I'll see you in a week, Elsa," Eric bid her goodbye as he ended his side of the holo-call. "See ya."

Shepard then looked at Elsa. "Elsa…can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Well, it's nothing much, but… remember when you and I went to Noveria to rescue Liara's mother? And we found that artifact that Saren had been experimenting on?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"I was just wondering where it came from, that's all. I remember seeing what it did to those people, turning their corpses into those monsters."

"And scaring the shit out of Anna in the process. I remember."

"Do you think we'll ever find out where it came from, or how Saren got it?"

"I don't know, but ever since that mission to Feros, I've been thinking about that bastard and what he's been up to: siding with the Geth, getting that Cipher thing from that plant creature that also ended up in my head, and that device he stole from the Citadel archives. He's planning something. I know it."

"Let's hope we find out what it is before it's too late."

"Agreed. Goodbye, Shepard."

"See you soon, Elsa, and be safe out there."

"I will," Elsa responded, ending the holo-call.

xXx

 

Down in the Archangel's hangar, Sapphira was working on the ship's Mobile Suit units, going through their various systems. This was usually Melody's job, but she was busy doing other things, so Sapphira had agreed to take her shift.

"Hey, Saph!" a voice called to her.

Sapphira looked out of the cockpit of the Infinite Justice, the Mobile Suit she was working on, to see Kira and Athrun walking towards her. "Hey guys!"

"You screwing up my ride there, Saph?" Athrun asked jokingly.

"Do I look like I'm here to cause trouble?" Sapphira remarked. "I'm just doing the usual tune-up."

"Any problems?"

"Not really, but there is a little offset in the targeting scanner."

"Don't worry about that," Athrun said with a shrug. "It's just a little something that I'm used to."

Sapphira looked at him. "You  _let_  your targeting system be a little offset? If I'm not mistaken, that's really gonna mess with your accuracy."

"I know, but I'm good at aiming manually, so It doesn't bother me."

Sapphira sighed. "As you wish, but if you can't shoot straight in a fight, don't be begging me to come bail you out."

"It's okay, Saph," Kira assured her. "Athrun pilots in his own way. Even I don't understand it, and I've been flying with him for seven years now."

"Does he fly as good as he kisses?" Sapphira teased, referring to their relationship.

"Saph!" Athrun blushed furiously.

"I'm kidding!" Sapphira brushed it off. "I know you two probably taste like heaven to each other."

"Is that how you think Melody tastes?" Kira joked.

Sapphira smirked. "Watch it, Yamato. I can punch you across this hangar without breaking a sweat."

"Speaking of Melody, where is she?" Athrun then asked. "She's usually doing the tune-ups for the suits right about now."

"She's with her mom," Sapphira explained. "They haven't had much time together lately, so I offered to cover her shift."

"You'd think empaths wouldn't have much to talk about," Kira stated. "I mean you already know how the other person is feeling anyway."

"Well, for Melody and her mom, they can talk for hours and hours about everything and nothing."

xXx

 

Up in the Archangel's mess hall, Ariel and Melody sat by a window together, enjoying their food. "It's so weird getting used to replicated food again," Ariel admitted, tucking into her meal. "I remember cooking everything myself back home on Aquatus, and here I have a computer to do it all for me."

"The wonders of modern technology, Mom," Melody remarked. "And I should know a thing or two about tech; I am chief engineer after all."

"So you are, Seashell," Ariel replied with a hint of pride.

"How have things been in counseling?" Melody inquired.

"Pretty much what you'd expect. A broken heart here, a grievance there."

"You sound like you don't enjoy it."

"Oh, I do enjoy my work," Ariel explained. "It's just…we, as a galactic society, have progressed so far in science and technology, and yet we're still burdened by emotional conflicts. But that's what I'm here for: to make sure those conflicts don't affect people in a way that distracts them or impairs their duty on this ship, and to help them mend their emotions."

Melody smiled. "Spoken like a true counselor."

"Actually, I get that more from your grandfather," Ariel stated. "He was always the great public speaker."

"I miss Grandpa," Melody said, in a rather sombre tone. "He was always so kind to me when I was younger."

"Everyone goes to the great sea sometime, Melody. You've been to the sea and back yourself."

"I know, but… Saph won't always be here, will she? And she won't ever be that powerful again. She told me herself."

"I know, but I was just making a statement about…ughh…." Ariel groaned and put her hand on her forehead.

"Mom? You okay?"

"I don't know… I feel faint…."

"Should I get you some water?"

"No… I think… Ahhhh!" Ariel then screamed loudly and fell off her chair.

"Mom!"

"Uhhh…Elsa…the darkness…." Ariel groaned, writhing on the floor in pain. "Black ship…the return…. Ohhhh…."

"Mom! Mom!" Melody shook her mother to try and get her out of this trance. She then hit her commbadge. "Lieutenant Ansaris to sickbay! Medical emergency in the mess hall!"

xXx

 

A few minutes later, Ariel was on a bed in sickbay, being tended to by Dr. Angela Ziegler.

"Have you figured out what's wrong with her, Doctor?" Melody wondered, her fingers twitching with nervousness and concern for her mother's well-being.

"I'm not sure," Angela admitted. "Your mother appears to have had a seizure of some kind, but her body isn't showing any of the usual symptoms."

"Will she recover?"

Angela held up a hypospray. "A shot of this, and she should be fine in an hour or two." She then injected the hypo into Ariel's arm, putting the Aquatan woman to sleep.

Melody sighed. "I wonder what could have caused this."

Angela thought for a moment. "Has Counselor Ansaris experienced anything like this before?"

Melody then remember something. "I think she might have. It was about two years ago, back when I was in the academy."

"Was this before your wife's encounter with Commander Hans?"

"Yeah, it was about a week before that. Captain Frost went to visit my mother and she had a seizure just like this, and she mumbled something about Hans."

"Then the rumours are true about empathic Aquatans."

"Rumours?"

"Some scientists like myself have theorised that Aquatans like you and your mother have some kind of precognitive abilities, as in the ability to see into the future."

"And since my mother predicted Hans coming back… what could she have predicted this time."

"What exactly did she say?"

"Something about darkness, a black ship, and Elsa. I'm not sure what it meant."

"In any case, you should go and tell the captain this."

"I will," Melody agreed. "Tell me if my mother's condition changes, Doctor."

"I'll let you know as soon as possible, Melody," Angela replied as Melody left sickbay.

xXx

 

Up on the bridge of the Archangel, Admiral Kristoff Bjorgman was in the captain's chair, this being his shift on the bridge.

"Ensign Athha," he asked one of the new officers on the bridge. "Anything to report on the sensors?"

Cagali Yula Athha turned around in her chair to face him. "Not as such, Admiral, but I have picked up an unusual reading."

"Well, what is it? If it's Zurg related, we should check it out."

"I don't know if it is Zurg related, sir," Cagali explained. "But I think it's definitely some kind of temporal distortion."

"Temporal? Are you sure it's not my chronal accelerator, love?" Tracer called over to them from the other side of the bridge.

"No, it's different than yours-and much fainter."

"Keep tabs on it," Kristoff stated. "I'll report it to Captain Frost once she gets back on duty."

As if on cue, Elsa and Anna walked onto the bridge. "Captain on bridge!" Elsa announced.

"Elsa! I thought you and feisty pants would be off duty for a few more hours," Kristoff remarked.

"I tried to teach Anna to play poker," Elsa replied. "It didn't go well."

"I kept beating you, that's why!" Anna argued.

At the front of the bridge, Tracer and Merida were giggling to each other. "Seems like the captain isn't as good as Melody said," Merida muttered.

"Too right, love," Tracer replied.

"Alright, enough small talk," Elsa called everyone to attention. "This is still the Galactic Alliance flagship after all." She then took Kristoff's place on the captain's chair. "Has anything happened up here?"

"Nothing but a temporal blip on Cagali's scanner," Kristoff reported.

"Temporal?"

"Just something that came onto my screen a while ago," Cagali stated. "It's just come back onto my monitor again, and it's stronger than before."

Elsa looked over Cagali's shoulder at the monitor. "I remember Buzz telling me about the time Zurg used a temporal weapon to…de-age most of the crew at Star Command, as he put it. Perhaps this is the radiation from that weapon."

"No, that got destroyed," Kristoff told her.

"Well, we can't worry about it now; we've got our current assignment to deal with."

Suddenly, Melody rushed onto the bridge, panting heavily. "Ca…Captain…"

"Melody?" Elsa noticed her. "What's wrong? You look like you've run across the entire equator of Arendelle."

"My mother…she had some kind of empathic seizure…and…."

"Easy, easy," Elsa told her, putting her hand on the young officer's shoulder. "Take a few deep breaths, and tell us slowly."

The alarm then blared on the Archangel's bridge, and the holographic form of Angel appeared. "Captain, there's an enemy ship approaching us, and fast."

"It's Zurg!" Kristoff realised.

"Everyone, battle stations!" Elsa ordered.

At that moment, Zurg's familiar dreadnaught came out of warp in front of the Archangel. On the front of the ship was a large cannon-like-weapon, which was pointed directly at them.

"Captain, we're getting a transmission from the ship," Tracer stated.

"Put it through," Elsa instructed.

Zurg's face appeared on the viewscreen. The tyrant's armour looked slightly scuffed and scratched; its owner had fallen on rather hard times. "Hello, crew of the starship Arch-Idiot," he sneered.

"Zurg," Elsa responded. "You're looking a bit weary. Did the loss of your planet take more of a toll on you than we thought?"

"Very funny, Captain Frost, but just because Planet Z is no longer in my possession doesn't mean I can't take out some nice personal vengeance on you and your puny friends."

"Given how well your little vengeance plots have gone in the past," Elsa replied, "you'll forgive my skepticism."

"Oh, don't worry; I've learned from my past mistakes. And with my Electro-Disruptor Cannon, I'll show you exactly what I mean." The cannon on the front of Zurg's ship began to charge up in power, preparing to fire at the Archangel.

"Shields up!" Kristoff ordered.

"Already on it!" Tracer replied.

The weapon then fired at the Archangel, ripping the shields to shreds and knocking the ship about like a boat on a stormy sea.

"Ugh!" Anna grunted as she was flung from her seat.

"Damage report..." Elsa groaned.

Melody checked a nearby console. "Shields are down…weapons systems are offline…pretty much half the ship's systems are knocked out completely."

"Well, that's just prime," Elsa replied.

"Mom? Are you there?" Sapphira's voice called in over the comm channel.

Elsa tapped her badge. "Yes, Sapphira, we're alright."

"We've got a problem down here. Whatever that blast was damaged the hangar doors. We can't launch any fighters or Mobile Suits."

"We're basically sitting ducks," Kristoff realised.

Zurg smiled. "Still skeptical, Captain?"

Elsa scowled. "What the hell did you do?"

"Rendered most of your equipment inoperable," he explained. "Your ship is defenseless. And you with nary a sarcastic comment." Several hatches opened on Zurg's ship, and his yellow-coloured hornet drones flew out by the thousands, their laser weapons pointed at the Archangel. "And now, Captain Frost, my hornets will tear your ship apart, piece by piece!"

Just then, a buzzing sound was heard from the bridge of Zurg's ship. "What the devil?" He turned to one side for a moment. "Hm. Judging from the colors, I'd say one of your associates happened upon us, Captain."

"It's Eric!" Kristoff exclaimed.

The Minerva raced onto the scene, opening fire on Zurg's ship.

"Captain Ansaris to Captain Frost," Eric radioed in. "We picked up Zurg's ship on our sensors. We'll deal with him; you guys get out of here." The Minerva's main cannon charged up and took a direct shot at Zurg's ship, but the shot merely bounced off the shields.

"What the hell?!" Eric exclaimed in disbelief. "That should've blasted the ship to splinters!"

Zurg's hologram appeared on the Minerva's bridge and chuckled. "I see you've discovered my reflective shielding, Captain Ansaris. Any shots taken at my ship will just bounce right off."

The cannon on Zurg's ship took aim at the Minerva, firing a beam that cut across the bow of the Minerva.

"Ahhh!" Eric grunted. "We're hit!"

"Ahahahaha!" Zurg cackled. "All of my enemies are totally helpless, like lambs to the slaughter."

"Well, there goes the Minerva," Kristoff stated.

"We're doomed," Tracer said softly.

Cagali then looked at her screen. "Captain, that anomaly I saw earlier is back again. And it's getting much stronger."

Just then, in a blindingly bright flash of blue light, a small grey single-person fighter craft appeared in the middle of the fracas. It was old and beaten up, with a faded black symbol on one side.

"Who the hell is that?" Melody wondered.

"Who dares to disrupt my vengeance?!" Zurg demanded. He exited his warship via an airlock and flew over to the small craft. "You there! Come out and show yourself before I tear your ship apart!"

The ship's cockpit then opened and, a figure clad in red and silver armour hovered out and stood atop the ship. They wore a helmet with a blue visor covering their face.

"Looks like that's the pilot," Kristoff assumed.

Anna looked closely at the figure's armour and body. "There's something familiar about them."

"I came a long way to get here," the figure said to Zurg in a modulated voice. "And I'm not gonna let you hurt these people, Zurg."

"Excuse me?" Zurg snapped. "You're the one who's butting in here with your little pod and fancy cosplay!"

"Maybe so," the figure replied. "But if you had left these ships in peace, then this could've been avoided."

"You don't tell me what to do!" Zurg argued. "Hornets! Destroy this interloper!"

Zurg's hornets flew towards the figure at full speed. The figure then pulled out a sword-like weapon from their back. The sword had a red-and-gold hilt and a blade that glowed a soft orange colour. A set of wing-like thrusters then appeared from their back and they took off at full speed towards the hornets, taking out an entire squad with one slash.

"Woah!" Melody looked in awe.

"Such speed," Anna noted.

"Whoever they are, I'm glad they're on our side," Tracer added.

The figure kept slashing through the hornets at full speed, as if it were a hot knife cutting through butter. Some hornets tried shooting at the figure, but they were outgunned as the figure's sword weapon had a blaster mode, which they then used to obliterate the hornets. Soon, all of Zurg's hornets were nothing more than scrap floating in the vacuum of space.

"Your hornets are destroyed, Zurg," the figure scolded the tyrant. "I suggest you surrender now, and make this easy on yourself."

"Never!" Zurg growled. "Just because you took out my hornets, doesn't mean you can stop me. Especially when I've got another trick up my sleeve."

"Go ahead," the figure remarked. "Just try and make it interesting."

"Oh, trust me: I'm going to destroy you!" Zurg then pressed the Z emblem on his chest armour. A small pod ejected itself from Zurg's ship and flew towards them. It then burst into multiple pieces, each piece flying onto Zurg and fixing itself onto him. Before long, he was suited up in a huge suit of what could best be described as power armor, complete with a big yellow Z emblazoned across the chest.

"I had saved this little toy for Sapphira Frost and her mother," Zurg remarked, "but I think it'll do the job of destroying you nicely."

The figure chuckled. "Don't count on it, metalhead."

"Trust me: this was built to kill Knydaxians."

"Knydaxians?" the figure responded. "In that case, I just have one word to say to you."

"And what's that?"

The figure's eyes closed. " _Henshin_." Suddenly the figure's form was enveloped in a shining blue light.

"No, she can't be…." Elsa said as she watched.

"By all the spirits," Anna whispered.

The light faded and the figure had transformed into the familiar blue and gold form of an  _ikaru shantoria_  Knydaxian, still clutching their sword weapon.

Zurg started. "What...what ARE you?!"

"You don't need to know," the figure said. "Here's what you do need to know: I'm the last of my kind. A long time ago, I was told that I'd be the bringer of light and hope to the universe. And Zurg…you can think of me as the can opener that's gonna bust your sorry hide open."

Zurg clenched his fists. "We'll see about that!"

The Knydaxian flew above Zurg, firing a volley of blasts from her hand and sword. Zurg attempted to dodge the blasts, but a few of them hit him and damaged his armor. The Knydaxian slashed the sword on Zurg's arm, stripping the armour straight off it.

"What?!" Zurg exclaimed in alarm.

The figure fired a few blasts from behind, striking him in the back.

Zurg scowled. "Two can play that game." His armor opened to reveal an energy blaster. He charged up a huge blast, then fired it at the figure.

The Knydaxian took the blast with full force, not even breaking a sweat.

"HOW ARE YOU ALIVE?!" Zurg screeched.

The Knydaxian held their hands together and started to charge a blast themselves using the energy they had absorbed from Zurg's attack.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Zurg demanded.

"Finishing you once and for all," the figure responded. The figure then let out a high-pitched scream as the blast was unleashed directly at Zurg.

Zurg cried out in utter terror. "NOOOOOOO!"

The blast pushed Zurg into his warship, and both were vaporised in the ensuing explosion.

The figure returned to its ship, its golden colour fading away.

On the bridge of the Minerva, Eric looked on in shock. "My God… Elsa, did you and your guys just see that?"

"We did," Elsa responded. "Whoever that is…they just killed Zurg."

"She's a Knydaxian," Anna uttered in amazement. "But I thought Sapphira and I were the last adults still alive. Maybe it's another survivor of the Zetans?"

"Whoever they are, they seem as powerful as Sapphira, judging from those gold markings" Kristoff pointed out.

"Captain?" Cagali said. "We're receiving a message from the craft. Text-only."

"What does it say, Cagali?" Elsa inquired.

"It says, 'Permission to come aboard, Captain Frost?'"

Kristoff looked at Elsa "What do we do?"

Elsa sighed. "Let them onboard. And…find Sapphira. I think she'll want to meet this person, whoever they are."

"Aye," Kristoff agreed.

Melody looked on at the ship. "Where do you think they came from, Captain?"

"I don't know, Melody, but I think we're about to find out," Elsa replied.

xXx

 

 **Author's note:** Welcome one and all to the third main Last Knydaxian fic. As you have just read, a mysterious stranger has arrived and kicked Zurg's butt Future Trunks style, just who are they and why are they here? All shall be revealed in the next chapter. As I said in the Elsanna fluff one shot I posted earlier in the week, I'll be updating this fic weekly on saturdays rather than daily like I usually do. I'm doing this to give myself more time to write the fic. Als, if you guys wanna support me and stuff, my first original novel has been out for a while and could really use some support. Links to where you can buy that will be on my tumblr and will probably be updated by the time the next chapter comes out.

Also, if your wondering where Nona's usual fanfic cover is, sadly, I don't have money to pay her right now, but I will eventually, so sometime soon, the placeholder cover I've made will be replaced with an awesome cover by Nona.

That's all for now! Catch you next time!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 

_Captain's log, supplemental. The mysterious being who killed Emperor Zurg is heading towards the Archangel. We've managed to bring our damaged systems back online, but most of us are still unsure about who this person is and where they came from. I've given our mystery visitor permission to come aboard; hopefully, they'll explain themselves._

Elsa, Kristoff, and Anna headed down to the hangar in the turbolift, still in amazement of what they had just seen. A Knydaxian, just as powerful as Sapphira, had just singlehandedly killed one of the most dangerous villains in the galaxy. Where had they come from? And just who was she? These were the questions that were rattling through their minds.

"So…anyone got any theories on who our new friend might be?" Kristoff asked, trying to break up the tension in the elevator.

"I think it's a clone of Sapphira," Elsa theorised. "Cerberus stole her DNA a while ago, and the tech in that Knydaxian's armour and weapon seemed pretty advanced."

"But that doesn't explain the temporal anomaly Cagali picked up," Kristoff pointed out.

"Maybe they're half Temporian?" Anna offered.

"Doubtful, although it wouldn't surprise me if that ship is of Temporian design," Elsa stated. "What with the fact it appeared in a flash of blue light."

"I bet they're another Knydaxian slave, like Anna," Kristoff said. "Or maybe they could be the kid of a Knydaxian slave. After all, the Zetans captured thousands of Knydaxians. Who's to say that Anna wasn't the only slave who decided to escape?"

"But we would have heard something by now," Anna replied. "I mean, my people knew to stay close together, so when Elsa and I killed Hans the first time, any other Knydaxian would have contacted either me or her somehow."

"What do you think, Anna?" Elsa asked her wife.

"Personally, I'm not so sure. There was definitely something familiar about them, but that could just be because they're another Knydaxian."

"Whoever they are, I think we should be cautious," Elsa stated. "We don't know if they're fully on our side."

"I agree to that," Kristoff added.

The turbolift arrived at the hangar, and the three of them walked out. The repairs to both the Archangel and Minerva were going smoothly, with members of both crews helping to repair the ships.

As Elsa headed into the center of the hangar, Sapphira and Commander Amari approached them.

Fareeha saluted Elsa. "My security team is standing by, Captain," she reported.

"Good work," Elsa replied. "Keep your rifles on that ship and its occupant. If things go to shit, you have my permission to open fire."

"Aye, ma'am," Fareeha acknowledged.

Sapphira sighed. "I guess I'm not the most powerful girl in the galaxy anymore."

"We don't know that yet, little one," Anna told her daughter.

The hangar doors then opened, and the security team took their positions on a nearby catwalk.

"Here we go," Elsa muttered.

The mysterious vessel slowly entered the hangar, landing just in front of Elsa and the crew. The ship powered down with a noise that sounded a little like Tracer's chronal accelerator. The cockpit opened again, and the mysterious figure climbed out and walked towards Elsa and the others. "There's no need for the guards," it said in its modulated voice, gesturing to the security team on the catwalk.

"It's mainly a precaution." Elsa walked up to the figure. "I'm Captain Elsa Frost of the Galactic Alliance starship Archangel."

"I know who you are, Captain," the figure responded. "I'm not here to hurt anyone."

"And yet you just destroyed Emperor Zurg and his warship with one blast."

"I was saving your lives there, Captain."

"Be that as it may, you still appeared out of nowhere, in an unidentified craft," Elsa replied.

The figure sighed. "I had a feeling we'd end up there eventually. Would you prefer it if I just told you who I am?"

"That would certainly be a step in the right direction."

The figure looked at Sapphira closely. "You're Sapphira, aren't you?"

She slowly nodded. "Yeah...why, is that important?"

The figure nodded. "More than you know." It removed its helmet, revealing a young woman a few years older than Sapphira, with short platinum blonde hair and yellow eyes. She looked at Elsa, smiling. "Lieutenant Sapphira Frost-Ansaris reporting for duty, Mom."

Elsa gasped. "What?!"

"Saph!" Melody exclaimed.

Sapphira's jaw hit the floor. "You're…y-y-you're me…?"

"Yes, I'm you," the woman replied, "from about 35 years in the future."

"Wow...I aged pretty well."

"The future…." Elsa mused. "You're a time traveller, then."

"Well, sort of. I'm technically from an alternate timeline: a future that may or may not actually happen depending on the choices that you all make."

Kristoff groaned. "I hated temporal mechanics at the academy."

"Why have you come back here?" Anna asked.

The future Sapphira sighed. "It's best if we talk about this in private."

"Very well," Elsa accepted. "Commander Amari, you and your team can put their weapons down now."

"As you wish, Captain," Fareeha agreed, lowering her rifle and signaling for the security team to stand down.

Future Sapphira smiled. "Just like old times."

xXx

 

Some time later, the senior officers of both ships were in the Archangel's conference room, ready to ask Sapphira's future self some questions.

Future Sapphira stood up. "All right, I know what your first question is: why did I come back?" She walked to the center of the room. "Simply put: in the timeline I came from, shit was fucked up beyond belief. I came to stop that from happening."

"Define 'fucked up'," Kira put in. "I mean, we've dealt with some pretty serious stuff ourselves."

"Well, I suppose I should start from the beginning," future Sapphira began. "Two days from now, the Archangel will be deployed to Eden Prime in response to a Geth attack."

"Sounds pretty standard for us," Kristoff remarked.

"That's exactly what we all thought," she explained. "But things went downhill really fast. There's gonna be this new Geth ship; one that no one has ever seen before. It's gonna fire at the Archangel, and the ship will crash onto the planet."

"Are there any survivors?" Elsa asked.

"Yes, but you'll lose a lot of people too," future Sapphira answered in a sombre tone. "Kristoff, Commander Yamato, Dr. Ziegler, and Melody will be killed. And that's just the senior officers."

Melody and young Sapphira both gasped in horror, and held each other's hands for comfort.

"After that, in my timeline, we all ran out of the ship to cover. We waited in this small cave for a few days before we got bad news. Thousands of Geth ships like the one that shot us down had been sighted across the galaxy, exterminating any and all organic life forms they happened to come across."

"Spirits have mercy," Anna uttered in horrified awe.

"Why did they attack Eden Prime?" Kristoff asked. "There's nothing there. It's a simple farming colony."

"I don't know, but we figured it's something to do with this." Future Sapphira put a small holo-projector on the table, and it showed a tall, thin, obelisk-like object. "We don't know what this thing was, but people saw someone take something from it. Some kind of green energy."

"Who was it?" Elsa inquired.

Future Sapphira looked her mother in the eye and replied gravely, "Saren Arterius."

Elsa's eyes narrowed. "You're sure of this?"

"Positive," future Sapphira confirmed. "We had about a dozen witnesses."

"Wait-if those ships killed everything, how did you survive?" Kira asked.

"Some of us survived longer than others. A small splinter cell of resistance fighters formed up, headed by you, Mom," future Sapphira said to Elsa. "But eventually things got pretty bad for all of us. We knew those things and the monsters they created would kill us eventually, so my wife, my timeline's Tracer, built my timeship for someone to go back and fix things. But our base got attacked by Geth forces, and everyone sacrificed themselves to get me and the timeship to safety. Unfortunately for me, the timeship was damaged pretty badly in the attack. It took me five years to finally get it back in working order, and now that I'm back here, I'm gonna make damn sure that my past doesn't become your future."

Elsa sighed. "So what do you suggest we do?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure. You never really got around to coming up with a plan. And by you, I mean the future you. Not you here, right now, in this room, here." Future Sapphira groaned. "Fuck me, time travel is confusing."

"Well, there's no time like the present," Elsa suggested. "No pun intended."

"What's your plan, Elsa?" Kristoff asked.

"If we go to Eden Prime, we go there with everything we've got."

"What if that's what we did in the timeline future me came from?" Sapphira interjected.

"No, we didn't come into the fight this early," future Sapphira replied. "If we go now, we might have a chance to fix things."

Kira thought for a moment. "Captain, can you show me that hologram again?"

"Why?" Elsa asked. "What is it, Kira?"

"It's just a hunch I've got right now, ma'am," he explained.

Future Sapphira showed Kira the hologram again, the young commander taking a look a the object very closely. "Yes, I knew I'd seen this somewhere before!"

"Where, Kira?" Kristoff asked him. "Where have you seen this thing?"

"Lacus recently bought an estate on Eden Prime. I went to visit her at it a few weeks back, and there was this statue in her garden that looked just like this."

"Well, now we know where Saren will be wanting to strike," Elsa said. "We should head to Eden Prime as soon as possible. I can try rallying some ships to our position."

"Well, I'm afraid I won't be joining you just yet," Eric told her. "There's still a lot more repairs to be done to the Minerva."

"Don't worry," Kristoff remarked. "We'll send you a postcard."

"I say we should be careful," Anna suggested. "If we failed once before, we can't fail again."

"Well said,  _tudko_ ," Elsa agreed. "We've only got one shot to change our future. Let's make it count."

xXx

 

Down in the medical bay, Elsa and Eric went down to check on Ariel, who they had been informed had fully recovered from her empathic incident in the mess hall.

As they arrived, Angela greeted them. "Elsa, Eric."

"Is my wife okay?" Eric inquired.

Angela nodded. "She's a bit weak, but otherwise, yes."

Eric sighed in relief. "Thank God."

"Can we go in?" Elsa asked her.

"Yes, you may," Angela affirmed.

The two of them walked into the sickbay. "Ariel?" Eric asked.

Ariel was lying in her bed, sitting up reading a holo-book. As she noticed her husband enter the room, her eyes lit up, and her face broke into a smile. "Eric!"

Eric hurried over to her. "Thank God. Elsa told me something had happened to you. I was worried."

Ariel giggled. "I'm fine, dear, really."

Elsa smiled. "Melody will be glad to hear it."

Ariel looked at Elsa, her expression falling. "Elsa, there's something I need to tell you. It's about what happened to me. Remember when I had that vision of Hans coming back?"

Elsa nodded. "Is that what happened to you here? Another premonition?"

Ariel nodded. "Yes…and I saw you in my vision. But…something felt wrong. It looked like you, but it felt…cold, and dark. Like something else was wearing your skin."

A chill went down Elsa's spine.

"What do you mean, honey?" Eric asked. "What exactly did you see?"

"I'm still trying to piece it together," Ariel explained. "First, I saw a huge black ship; it looked like some kind of monstrous squid. Then there were two, then five, then ten, then a hundred…then thousands. A swarm of those monstrous ships, pouring out of some kind of portal. And right in the middle of that swarm…was Elsa."

Elsa rubbed her chin. "That sounds eerily similar to what our new arrival just told me."

"New arrival?"

"There's a doppelganger of your daughter-in-law from the future currently aboard," Eric explained. "She comes from a future where most of us have been killed by some new type of Geth ships."

"I see," Ariel responded. "That is troubling."

"You've predicted the future once before," Elsa remarked thoughtfully. "So if this vision comes true, what does that mean for me?"

Eric looked at his friend. "Well, Elsa, excuse the pun, but I'm afraid only time will tell."

Ariel rolled her eyes. "Really, Eric?"

"I know, I know, humour was never my strong point," he admitted.

"Let's focus on the mission for now," Elsa stated. "If something comes up that seems like it's related to your vision, Ariel, we'll deal with it then. Do you think you're fit for duty?"

"Well, with all that has happened, I'm sure someone's in dire need of my help." Ariel got out of bed. "So yes, I am fit for duty, Captain." She finished her statement with a salute.

Eric smiled. "That's my Ariel."

xXx

 

Down in the hangar, Melody and Tracer were looking over future Sapphira's timeship. Neither of them had ever seen a ship like this before, and they wanted to examine it while they had the chance.

"It's incredible," Melody commented. "I never thought time travel would be so easy to pull off."

"I think this ship acts like a giant version of my chronal accelerator," Tracer said. "I mean, maybe my future self did build this thing, but I can't see myself as much of an engineer."

"Oh, you did," future Sapphira said, walking into the room. "After Melody died, you became our top tech expert."

"Oh, hey… Saph," Melody greeted her. "Sorry, it's just gonna be hard to tell you two apart."

"I had the feeling," she remarked. "Just call me Future Saph. That should be easier for you."

"How does this work?" Tracer inquired.

Future Saph placed her hand on the ship. "It's tied to my own iridium energy, meaning that only I can use it. Basically, I think of a point in time I need to go, and the ship's systems will act accordingly."

"Handy," Melody remarked. She then noticed the faded symbol on the side. "What does that symbol mean?"

"You really don't know? I mean, I was teaching you Knydaxian at this point."

"I don't think we've got that far yet," Melody admitted.

Future Sapphira smiled. "It's  _Tu'roka_. The Knydaxian word for hope."

"Nice name," Tracer admitted. "And very fitting."

"You chose it, Lena," Future Saph told her. She walked over and held her hands, then leaned in and gently kissed her lips. The Temporian went bright red, her eyes wider than dinner plates.

Future Saph quickly pulled away. "Oh, fuck-I'm sorry," she spluttered. "I-I didn't mean to…."

Melody just stared. The woman who was a future version of her wife just kissed another woman.

"I'm really sorry, Lena," Future Saph apologised. "It's just…we were together in my time."

Tracer smiled. "It's okay love. At least you've just helped me realise one thing."

"What's that?"

"I like girls," Tracer proudly stated.

Melody chuckled. "I don't know what the fuck just went on there, but it was adorable."

Future Saph looked at her in surprise. "You're not mad? I mean, technically, I am your wife."

The dark-haired girl shrugged. "You're not  _my_ Sapphira, so it's okay."

Future Saph sighed. "It's just…I lost my Lena a long time ago. So to see her here, alive…it was just…I'm sorry." The time traveller then walked out of the room.

"Poor girl," Tracer remarked. "She's really lost everything."

"Let's try and bring something back to her life," Melody stated. "Because I'd do that for my Sapphira."

"Me too, if she were my girlfriend."

Melody then looked at Tracer. "By the way, you never told me you were gay."

"I just figured it out," Tracer admitted. "I've been feeling attracted to girls for a while now, and now I'm sure."

"I'm happy for you, Lena. Now come on; we've gotta get the Mobile Suits ready for when we get to Eden Prime."

Tracer saluted Melody. "Yes, ma'am."

xXx

 

 **Author's** **note:** Yes, Sapphira is basically Future trunks here. Insert Dragon ball z abridged reference here. Anyway, what is Ariel thinking of here? This mysterious vision of Elsa, or is it Elsa? Well, that's for much, much later on. Also, at the time of this chapter's publishing, I will have hopefully finished writing the actual story, but I won't be having it come out daily, rather weekly might be best for you lot after all. Don't worry, one shots will still be coming out during the week to tide you all over. See you next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 

_Ship's log, stardate 50247.6: ship AI Angel speaking. The Archangel has arrived at Eden Prime, and we're awaiting reinforcements from the Normandy and a couple of other Alliance ships. Captain Frost and her team are getting ready to beam down to the surface. Hopefully, they'll find what they're looking for before the Geth do._

The Archangel dropped out of warp over the small green world of Eden Prime, its crew knowing that this could very well be their last mission.

"Angel," Elsa asked the ship's AI. "What's the ETA of the other ships?"

Angel appeared next to Elsa. "The Normandy will be here in about an hour, Captain," she reported. "I'm not sure about the others, though."

"Let's hope we don't have to hold off the Geth on our own," Elsa mused.

"Captain, we've got transporter clearance from Eden control," Tracer reported.

"Good. Kira, Future Saph, Kristoff, Angela, we'll beam down to Lacus's estate," Elsa instructed. "And maybe we'll get a good look at whatever Saren is going to be after."

"Yes ma'am," Kira agreed. "I've already messaged Lacus about this. She says we'll be fine to beam down, but she politely requests that we not make a mess of her garden."

"A bit of a green thumb?" Angela asked..

"More or less," Kira answered.

Future Saph smiled. "It'll be good to see Lacus again."

"She was alive in your time?" Kira inquired.

"Yeah. She took your death pretty hard, but she still kept singing for us, keeping our spirits up."

Kira grinned. "Good to know some things never change."

xXx

 

The team beamed down to Lacus's estate. Everyone wore combat armour except for Angela, who was instead wearing her Valkyrie suit. The estate was quite massive, in the style of an old Earth mansion. Grassy fields and hills stretched out as far as the eye could see, with a small, city-like colony in the distance.

"This is quite a beautiful place," Kristoff commented.

"I used to have a clinic set up here," Angela stated. "But I had to leave it when I joined the Archangel crew."

"I remember that place," Future Saph added. "It was one of our hideouts here."

"Saph, can I ask you a question?" Melody put in. "You said the Archangel crashed onto this planet; where?"

Future Saph pointed to a rocky hilltop just behind the city. "Right there. The ship actually split in half down the middle when it crashed, with one sliding all the way to just here."

"Must have been a helluva crash," Elsa commented.

At that moment, Lacus walked out of her house, wearing a simple pink summer dress. "Captain Frost! It's so good to see you!"

Elsa turned around. "Sorry to disturb you, Miss Clyne."

"It's alright," Lacus accepted. She ran over to Kira, planting a big kiss on his lips. "As long as I see this guy and his sister, I'm fine."

Kira smiled. "Love you too, Lacus," he said, embracing her.

"How's Cagali doing?" Lacus asked him.

"She's just fine, and very eager to see you again."

Elsa cleared her throat. "I hate to interrupt, but there's another matter we need to discuss."

Lacus pulled away from the embrace and nodded. "Yes, Captain. I'll take you through to the garden right now." She led Elsa and her team through to the gardens of the estate. The gardens were very proudly arranged, with flora from all over the galaxy on display. In the centre of the gardens was the same obelisk that Future Saph had shown in her hologram, only now it was glowing a strange green energy.

"That's the thing you told me about," Lacus stated.

"Do you know what it is?" Kristoff asked.

"Not really. I just assumed it was some statue the previous owner had bought. I was thinking of taking it down, but then I got the call from you."

"Does it usually glow like that?" Angela inquired. "I've seen a lot of sculptures in my life, but none ever glowed like that."

"No, it only just started doing it a few hours ago."

"That's the green glow I remember from my timeline," Future Saph stated. "Although it was much stronger when Saren was near it."

Suddenly, Elsa heard a chorus of voices in her ear, whispering softly in a language she barely understood. "Did anyone hear that?"

"Hear what, Elsa?" Kristoff asked.

"Those voices."

"I couldn't hear anything, Captain," Kira said.

"Me neither," Future Saph added.

"Are you alright, Elsa?" Angela inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure," Elsa replied. "I'm gonna take a closer look at that thing."

"Be careful," Future Saph warned.

Elsa started to move closer to the sculpture, the voices speaking in her ear again. She still couldn't understand what they were saying, but they were clearly getting louder and louder now.

"Elsa!" Kristoff cried.

Elsa felt herself being pulled towards the sculpture, the voices now deafening in her ears. The sculpture's glow became more intense, more violent as Elsa was pulled closer and closer.

Kira and Future Saph ran to Elsa's side and pulled her out of the way as the sculpture's glow returned to normal. "Captain!" Kira exclaimed urgently. "Are you okay?"

Elsa panted. "I'm fine…. God, what was that?"

"I don't know what you did, Mom," Future Saph stated. "But that thing just glowed like it did with Saren in my timeline."

Angela scanned Elsa with her omni-tool. "Elsa, your brain activity just spiked up 200%, and so did every other process in your body."

"So what's the prognosis?" Elsa remarked.

Angela met her eyes. "Don't go near that thing again," she said in a serious tone. "You might die."

Elsa sighed. "We need to study that thing. Maybe we can transport it off-world."

Lacus looked at the statue. "I don't think that's possible. It's probably bolted to the ground."

"Do you know who made it?" Elsa asked.

"I think so. I remember looking at architecture like this when I was in school." Something then clicked in her mind. "It's Prothean!" she exclaimed.

"Prothean?" Kira asked. "Aren't they supposed to be extinct?"

"They are," Kristoff explained. "But some bits of their culture are left behind. Artifacts, buildings, and of course, the Citadel."

"Then I know just the person to talk to," Elsa stated, tapping her commbadge. "Angel, has Commander Shepard arrived yet?"

"She just did," the AI informed her. "Want me to patch you in to her?"

"Don't bother," Elsa said. "Just tell her that we need Dr. T'soni here. There's something she should see."

"You got it," Angel replied.

xXx

 

_Captain's log, supplemental. We are awaiting the arrival of Commander Shepard and Dr. T'soni on Eden Prime. Hopefully, our Asari friend has some idea of how this thing, whatever it is, works._

Elsa and her team were waiting outside of Lacus's mansion, most of them having gotten out of their combat armour. Lacus then walked out of the house itself, holding a plate of sandwiches. "I thought you all might be a bit hungry."

Kira smiled, taking one of the sandwiches. "We really appreciate it, Lacus."

Future Saph munched on one of the sandwiches. "Mmm, this is delicious "

"What kind of sandwich is this?" Angela inquired.

"Argolian cucumber, " Lacus told her. "I grow a lot of fruits and vegetables in my garden."

"Very nutritious," Elsa remarked.

Lacus smiled proudly. "I'm glad you like them."

Just then, the air in front of them began to shimmer as two people transported down. When the shimmering subsided, Commander Shepard and Dr. Liara T'soni stood before them. Shepard was decked out in full combat armor, while Liara was dressed in more lightweight armor.

"Captain Frost," Shepard greeted them. "I heard you needed my wife's help."

Elsa nodded. "We've got what looks like some kind of Prothean artifact. I was hoping Dr. T'soni could tell us more about it."

Liara grinned. "You came to the right Asari, Elsa. Protheans are my specialty." The Asari walked up to the sculpture, examining it closely. "Hmm. Well, you're right about one thing: it's definitely Prothean."

"Do you know why it's glowing like that?" Kristoff asked.

"Not really, but a lot of scientific texts do mention how Prothean objects would glow with a green hue when activated."

"Activated? How?"

Liara shrugged. "I'm not even sure  _what_  was activated, never mind  _how_."

Elsa folded her arms. "Well, can you explain why I heard voices from that thing, or why it tried to pull me into it?"

"I'm afraid I don't know that either, Captain," Liara expressed. "There's only so much we know about the Protheans."

"Well, that's just prime, isn't it?" Kira sarcastically remarked.

"Keep scanning it, Liara," Elsa instructed. "If we can figure out a way move this thing, we may be able to draw Saren's attention away from this planet and the colonists."

"Yes, Captain."

xXx

 

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the system, a fleet of Geth ships were slowly moving towards Eden Prime. At the head of the fleet was a large black ship that resembled a cuttlefish. On the ship's bridge, Saren Arterius was looking out into the void, a calm smile on his mandibles. "Eden Prime," he said to himself. "The location of the first beacon. Soon, it shall be nothing more than a scorched ball of rock."

One of Saren's Geth troopers walked over to him. "Sir, we have detected a small number ships on the long range scanners. They are Alliance vessels."

"Which ones?"

"Two of them appear to to be the warships designated Archangel and Normandy."

"So, Elsa Frost is here," Saren mused. "I'll be able to retrieve the other half of the Prothean cipher from her corpse. Alert the rest of the fleet. Order them to attack the Alliance ships. I'll take Sovereign down to the surface and take what we came for."

"Yes, sir."

The Geth ships broke away from Saren's flagship and started making their way towards the Alliance fleet.

On the bridge of the Archangel, Sapphira was on duty in the captain's chair, making sure everything was running smoothly.

"Cagali, Lena, scan the system again," she instructed. "I want to know the moment those Geth bastards arrive."

Tracer looked at her console. "Saph! They're heading here right now!"

"How many?" Sapphira asked.

"About 15 small frigates, six cruisers, a pair of dreadnaughts, and…oh. Oh, no."

"What 'oh no,' Lena?" Sapphira demanded.

"There's some new ship at the front. It's bigger than anything else in the fleet. Not to mention bigger than any ship I've ever seen."

"Shit," Sapphira swore. "That must be the ship future me warned us about. Angel, patch me through to Captain Frost, now!."

"I'm on it," Angel replied.

Elsa's face appeared on the viewscreen. "What is it, Sapphira?"

"We've got company, Mom. Saren's here, and he brought an entire Geth fleet with him."

"How many are there?"

"Not too many, but that new ship-the one future me told us about-is heading your way. It's massive, and I don't think we've got anything that can actually damage it."

"That's not good. Launch with Athrun and see if you and our other ships can hold them off. If any Geth land on the surface, we'll have to deal with them here."

"Understood, Mom," Sapphira said. "I'll contact the Normandy and have them send the rest of Commander Shepard's squad and Mama to give you backup."

"No, don't send Anna. I don't want her getting hurt. Just send the Normandy crew, alright?"

Sapphira sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Got it. Good luck, Mom. Spirits be with you."

Elsa smiled ruefully. "And with you, my sapphire."

xXx

 

The Geth ships arrived at Eden Prime and began opening fire on the Archangel and Normandy, deploying their fighters. The Normandy's hangar opened up, and Sapphira and Athrun, both in their respective Mobile Suits, launched out.

"Let's hope your manual aim is good today, Zala," Sapphira remarked.

"Challenge accepted," Athrun retorted.

Sapphira flew forward and opened fire on a group of Geth fighters, taking a few out with her AGE-3's main blaster.

Athrun pulled out his suit's double-bladed beam saber and cut through a squadron, coordinating an attack with a group of other Alliance fighters.

"They just keep coming!" Sapphira exclaimed in frustration.

"Let's try taking out their dreadnaughts," Athrun said hurriedly. "I don't know if it'll stop them, but it'll at least buy us some breathing room."

"You lead, I'll follow," Sapphira replied.

The two pilots headed towards one of the Geth dreadnaughts, opening fire on a few defense turrets on it's exterior.

"Here's what we do," Athrun explained as he took out a few more turrets. "We fly down the barrel of the dreadnaught's main cannon, and blast our way through."

"Isn't that a bit dangerous?"

"You got a better plan?"

"Not really, but I'm not exactly a fan of plans that could get me killed."

"Trust me on this," Athrun told her. His suit's engines fired up, and he raced into the large hole at the front of the Geth ship.

Sapphira followed him, and the two started to open fire on the Geth ship's interior. Explosions raced through the ship, decimating its systems. Just as the two Mobile Suits exited the ship, it exploded in a giant fireball.

"Alright!" Sapphira cheered.

"Told you we'd make it," Athrun said proudly.

Sapphira's commlink beeped. "Sapphira?" Anna's voice asked. "Can you hear me?"

"What is it, Mama?"

"The Normandy needs covering fire over here, and I need backup," Anna informed her.

"We're on our way," Sapphira acknowledged.

The two of them flew over to the Normandy, which was being covered by Anna, wearing her flight suit and using a gigantic plasma cannon she had borrowed from the ship's hangar to take out the Geth fighters.

" _Kempa ja'tou duur!_ " Anna shouted as she opened fire on a Geth fighter.

Athrun and Sapphira arrived just in time to assist, taking out the rest of the Geth fighters.

Anna sighed. "Thank the spirits. This plasma cannon was starting to run out of ammo."

"Mama, why didn't you just use your powers?" Sapphira asked.

"I figured I could use some extra firepower," Anna explained.

Athrun looked up. "Look up there!"

The Geth flagship, massive in size, was moving towards them, preparing to charge it's lasers.

"Normandy, expand and divert all power to your shields," Sapphira ordered. "Now!"

"Aye, aye," Joker's voice replied.

The Normandy's shields expanded over Sapphira, Anna, and Athrun as the flagship moved towards them, opening fire with its lasers and heading towards the planet below.

As the shields lowered, Sapphira contacted her mother. "Mom, you're gonna have big problems down there. That new Geth ship just cut past us."

"We'll worry about it down here," Elsa replied. "You just concentrate on the rest of the Geth fleet."

"I'm coming down there," Sapphira said.

"No you're not," Elsa said vehemently. "Stay up there and keep the Geth off our backs."

"But-"

"I said no, Sapphira! That's an order!"

Sapphira sighed. "Aye, Captain. Just do me a favor and…don't die."

"I'll do my best, Sapphira," Elsa told her.

xXx

 

Down on Eden Prime, Elsa and her crew had rendezvoused with the rest of Commander Shepard's team: Garrus Vakarian, Urdnot Wrex, Ashley Williams, Kaidan Alenko, and James Vega. They had set up a barricade around the front of Lacus's estate, hoping to keep the Geth back.

"How long before that ship makes touchdown?" Elsa asked Kira as he was scanning the area with his omni-tool.

"If my omni-tool is right," Kira replied, "we've got about two minutes."

"That doesn't give us much time," Elsa mused. "Kristoff, Shepard!"

Shepard and Kristoff walked over to her. "What's up?" Shepard asked.

"Have your people set up at the barricade, Shepard," Elsa instructed. "Don't let anything past you. Kristoff, we're gonna take Future Saph and Kira and be the forward defense. Have Dr. Ziegler support us with that staff of hers; we're probably gonna be hit a lot."

"What if we have to fall back into the house, Elsa?" Kristoff asked.

"There's a basement," Lacus informed him. "We should be safe in there."

"Alright, we'll keep that in mind if all else fails," Elsa replied.

"So what are we waiting for?" Kristoff remarked, holding his rifle. "Let's get out there."

Elsa and her team headed out down the hill away from the house, past the barricade.

"Keep your eyes open, team," Elsa stated. "There's a lot of Geth, and not a lot of us."

"I'm used to it," Future Saph remarked. "In my timeline, it was like this at least once every day or so."

Mercy held out her staff towards the team, a small yellow light glowing at the top of it. "This will heal any wound they give you, but stay close to me, alright? This doesn't have a lot of range."

"Gotcha," Elsa acknowledged.

Kira looked up. "Here they come."

The Geth flagship descended from the sky over the nearby colony, opening fire almost immediately. Sirens blared in the distance as the colonists were clearly trying to flee the destruction around them.

"Should we help them?" Kristoff asked.

"No, we have to stop the Geth here," Elsa told him. "I don't know what this artifact is, but if Saren wants it, then it's our job to make sure he doesn't get it."

Kristoff sighed. "Yes, ma'am."

Angela took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. " _Gemeinsam kämpfen wir._ "

Future Saph looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "What did you say?"

Angela smiled. "It's an old Earth phrase I picked up. It means 'We fight together.'"

"Alright, get ready!" Elsa exclaimed.

A small platoon of Geth troopers then approached from the nearby woods, armed with laser rifles. They looked around in their robotic fashion before taking notice of Elsa and her squad and opening fire.

"Take cover!" Elsa ordered as she and Kristoff ducked behind a pair of nearby boulders.

Kira took out a grenade and chucked it out from behind his cover, taking out a pair of the Geth troopers.

"Saph, cover fire!" Elsa called out.

"On it, Mom!" Future Saph flew up into the sky and transformed to her true form, firing a wide volley of blasts at the Geth troops.

"That's the first wave down," Angela said. "But the battle continues!"

Just then, the team heard heavy footsteps emanating from the same woods out of which the Geth had marched. The next wave had arrived-and it was much bigger than the last. Two giant Geth walkers appeared from the woods, firing their plasma cannons at the team.

"Fall back!" Kristoff ordered.

"No, we need to stand our ground!" Elsa argued.

"Elsa, we're as good as dead out here! We need to fall back to the barricade and raise the barrier!" Kristoff told her. "I do outrank you, remember?"

Elsa sighed. "Fine, we'll fall back."

The four of them made a run for the barricade, with the Geth forces hot on their tail.

"Captain Frost," Garrus Vakarian greeted them as they returned. "Are you alright?"

"Less talking, more barrier raising!" Elsa replied. "There's a lot of Geth on their way!"

"Roger that." Garrus replied. "Get the barrier up, Kaidan!"

"On it, Garrus!" Kaidan Alenko replied, pressing a few buttons on a nearby console. A large force field then rose up from the barricade, creating a hemisphere over the front of the estate. The Geth forces opened fire on the barrier, but their shots were absorbed by the shielding.

"Let's see them try and break through that," Kristoff remarked.

"We need to try and push them back," Elsa stated. "Everyone, battle stations!"

The entire squad took their places at the barricade, opening fire on any Geth unit they could see. Wrex was near the front of the group, using a laser minigun to mow down the robotic attackers in packs. "This isn't war; this is sport!" he exclaimed.

"Don't get cocky now, Wrex," Liara told him, dropping another Geth with her biotics. "We have our orders."

"I know, but this is incredibly satisfying to me."

Future Saph fired a few volleys from her sword weapon at one of the Geth walkers, destroying its plasma cannon. "Next!"

Over by the Geth flagship, Saren was watching the battle on a hovering battle platform. "This is taking far too long," he muttered. He then closed his eyes. "Master, I require your help. We must destroy that barrier."

"I will deal with these organics," a booming voice replied to him.

A hatch then opened on the spine of the flagship, a cannon-like weapon moving into position and charging up with a glowing red energy.

Elsa looked up and saw the cannon's glow, her expression falling. "Oh, shit. Everybody, RUN!"

The cannon then fired directly at the barrier, tearing the shields to shreds and destroying the mansion in one blast.

Saren chuckled. "Goodbye, Elsa Frost."

xXx

 

 **Author's note:** Dun Dun DUnnnnnnnnn!

Translation: Kempa ja'tou duur - Suffer my wrath.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 

The estate of Lacus Clyne was now nothing but a pile of rubble. The barricade that had once protected it had been destroyed, and its magnificent garden had been scorched into nothingness, but the Prothean object still stood, aglow with its green energy.

As a group of Geth troopers sifted through the rubble, a pair of eyes peeked out from a small section of a crumbled wall, spying on them. The Archangel team and their allies from the Normandy had ducked into the basement of Lacus's estate when the laser had hit, and aside from a handful of minor injuries, were unharmed.

"Anything up there, Admiral?" Kira asked as Kristoff looked through the peephole.

"They're combing the ruins for us," Kristoff replied. "Hopefully, they won't realise this place has a basement."

Elsa was with Angela, helping to treat a wound on Commander Shepard's chest.

"That was some blast," the commander remarked. "Since when do the Geth have that kind of tech?"

"I don't know," Elsa replied, "but it's not important. We need to get everyone back out there and stop them while we still can. That includes you."

"By the time we're ready, Saren will be gone!" Jane protested. "Just leave us here, at least for now."

"No, Jane, you need to be up on your feet," Liara told her. "We need you."

"Does it even matter? All our weapons got fragged in the blast."

"I still have my Gunblade," Future Saph remarked. "So there's that, at least."

"We'll figure something out," Elsa stated.

"I could take all of them," Wrex said brusquely.

"We know you can, Wrex," Garrus said. "But then it usually ends in more laser fire in our direction."

"More fun, right?"

Kristoff and Kira returned from their lookout position. "Well, we've got good news and bad news," Kira stated.

"Give us the good first," Elsa replied.

"Good news is, they haven't seen us," Kira told them.

"Bad news," Kristoff then said, "is that Saren is probably on his way here personally, and he's probably bringing a lot more Geth with him."

"Well, looks we need to come up with a plan," Elsa stated. "And fast."

xXx

 

Up in orbit of Eden Prime, the Archangel and a group of other Alliance ships were still engaged in fighting the Geth.

Sapphira, in her AGE-3, was opening fire on a Geth cruiser, taking it out with her Mobile Suit's main cannon.

"Tali," she radioed the Archangel. "Have you been able to get a transporter lock on my mother's team yet?" An hour ago, they had lost contact with Elsa and the others, and some strange inference was blocking their sensors.

"Not yet," the Quarian replied. "That interference is still there."

Sapphira sighed. "Keep trying. If they're…dead…we'll have to go on without them."

"Understood," Tali acknowledged.

Athrun flew up to Sapphira, taking out a few fighters. "Any word on the others yet?"

"Tali's still unable to track them," Sapphira told him. "I'm worried about them."

"Don't lose focus, Saph; we still have to keep these Geth at bay."

Sapphira blasted another fighter. "I know, but my mom is down there. Something's happened to her."

Athrun looked at her. "You really wanna go down there? Even though she said not to?"

"Yes."

"Then count me in," a familiar voice stated. Anna flew over to them in her flight suit, and sat on the back of Sapphira's suit, clinging on with chains made of her iridium energy. "If my  _nira_  is in trouble down there, we have to go and help her."

"Good luck down there, then," Athrun told them. "Spirits be with you and all that crap."

Anna chuckled. "We'll make a Knydaxian out of you yet, Athrun."

Sapphira flew her suit towards the planet below, expanding her shields to compensate for the atmosphere. As the flames of the re-entry scorched the shields, Sapphira and her mother remained unscathed.

"Let's hope we get to Elsa in time," Anna said.

"Hang on, Mama," Sapphira said. "I'll kick in the boosters."

The Mobile Suit raced towards the planet at full speed, Sapphira and Anna hoping to save Elsa, before it was too late.

xXx

 

Down at Lacus's estate, Saren had arrived to inspect the ruins. "Are you sure you couldn't find them?" he asked one of the Geth troopers.

"Negative. They were clearly disintegrated in the blast," the Geth trooper reported.

Saren scoffed. "Pity. I'd have wanted to have found that Arendellian's corpse." His cybernetic eyes then locked onto the glowing artifact. "Ahh, there it is. The beacon."

Meanwhile, Elsa and Kristoff were surveying the scene from the peephole. "Alright, Kristo," Elsa told him. "We're gonna let Saren go closer to that thing, and once he and the Geth have some distance between them, I'll take him on."

"And T'soni and Alenko will rain biotic hell on the rest of the Geth," Kristoff added.

"Exactly, and the rest of you… will melee them as you please."

Kristoff punched his hand. "I do like to get my hands dirty."

"Get ready," Elsa told him.

As Saren started to move towards the artifact, his burned tongue licking his scarred mandibles, Elsa leaped out, Future Saph's Gunblade in her hands. "Saren!"

The Turian turned around and smiled. "So, you're still alive."

"I'm not letting you get your hands on that thing, Saren!" Elsa snapped.

"You stand alone against an army of Geth," Saren said. "That's foolishness, not bravado."

"Who said I was alone?" Elsa clicked her fingers, and the doors to the basement burst open. The rest of the team jumped out, Liara and Kaidan using their biotics to destroy Saren's troops.

Saren chuckled. "Clever move. But more Geth will be here soon."

"Go ahead; we'll be waiting," Elsa remarked.

Saren's cybernetic arm then transformed into a long blade. "I suppose I'll have to just deal with you myself."

Elsa held out future Saph's sword and leapt at Saren dueling him. Saren fought back, parrying his blade and kicking Elsa to the floor. "You're still weak, just like the rest of your kind."

Elsa looked at Saren, a large, bloody wound on her face.

"Mom!" Future Saph cried. As she tried to jump into the scene, Kristoff stopped her.

"No, Saph," he said. "This is Elsa's fight, not yours."

"That bastard killed everyone in my future!"

Elsa's eyes darted over to Future Saph for a moment, an idea forming in her head. She made a slight nod at Kristoff, who let go of Future Saph. She then looked back at Saren. "You won't win," she said to him.

"I fail to see how that could be," Saren chuckled. "I have an army."

Elsa smiled. "We have a Sapphira."

Future Saph transformed into her  _ikaru shantoria_  form and charged at Saren, tackling him away from the area at high speed. She then grabbed his face and started dragging it through the dirt underneath them.

Saren reached back and tossed Future Saph off him, throwing her into a nearby rock.

"Don't think taking me out will be so easy," Saren remarked. "My upgrades make me far more durable than anyone you've ever faced."

Future Saph spat on the ground. "I've faced Commander Hans. You're gonna be child's play compared to him."

"Do you want to bet on that?" Saren remarked.

Future Saph then charged at Saren again, knocking him back. Saren's arm changed into a blaster, and he fired several blasts at her. Future Saph dodged them all, then hurled a few energy blasts back at him.

Meanwhile, Elsa and the others had retreated into the basement, where Angela set about tending to Elsa's wounds with her healing beam.

"Now look who's got a cut," Shepard remarked.

"At least we've got Saren out of the way," Elsa said. "Future Saph bought us some time, so let's make the most of it. Liara, did you finish the scans on the artifact?"

"Yes, but I don't know if we can still transport it," Liara stated. "My scans showed some kind of structure underneath that the obelisk is attached to."

"So it's not going to be an easy job," Elsa said. Suddenly, she heard the same whispers from before in her ears. "Wait, what was that?"

"I heard that too this time," Kira stated.

"I think we all did," Lacus added.

"So now you all believe me," Elsa said.

"We never said we didn't," Kristoff told her.

"Wait a second, are you going to…no. No!" Angela shouted. "Captain Frost-Your Majesty, are you mad?!"

"We've got no choice, Angela," Elsa replied. "I have to figure out what that thing is, and I think the only way we can do that is if I let that thing do what it wants with me."

Angela opened her mouth to argue, but sighed. "Just come back to us in one piece. I know Lieutenant Frost would miss you dearly."

Elsa closed her eyes. "Alright, Prothean thing, I'm coming your way." She started to walk up to the obelisk again, the voices getting louder and the glow growing brighter as it pulled her towards it.

"Elsa…" Kristoff looked at his friend.

Elsa was suddenly pulled and suspended in mid air as the energy surrounded her body. She screamed out in pain as green light erupted from her eyes and mouth, her hair standing on end. A stream of images flowed rapidly through her mind, like a slideshow on fast-forward: a green alien code; a race she didn't recognise fighting the squid-like Geth ships. It was just like the vision she had seen on Feros, but much stronger and more vivid.

"Elsa!" Kristoff cried.

"Captain, no!" Kira shouted.

The green light faded completely, and Elsa dropped the floor. She slowly sat up, panting heavily.

"Captain, are you okay?" Angela asked.

Elsa blinked a few times, then nodded. "I'm fine, Doctor."

Meanwhile, Saren and Future Saph were still duking it out, each one dodging or blocking the other's blows.

"You will be dead soon, Knydaxian!" Saren snarled.

"Maybe," Future Saph replied. "But I'll die knowing that I fought for my future."

Saren then saw a bright green light in the distance, anger forming on the Turian's face. "No! It's not possible!" He summoned his battle platform and flew over to the ruins, seeing Elsa being tended to by Angela. "No! She used the beacon!"

Elsa looked up at him. "Game over, Saren. You've lost."

Saren frowned. "A minor skirmish, yes. But the war is far from over, and rest assured: when the dust settles…I will be stepping over your cold corpses." The Turian then flew over back to his flagship and boarded it, Elsa and the crew watching as the massive vessel took off into the sky.

"We did it!" Kira exclaimed. "We stopped Saren!" He then looked around at the others, noticing that none of them shared his excitement. "Um…we did stop him, right?"

Liara then walked over to Elsa. "Captain, what exactly happened to you?"

"I'm not sure, Liara," Elsa explained. "But this wasn't as bad as the time on Feros, when I had that vision there."

Elsa's commbadge pinged. "Ansaris to Captain Frost," Melody said. "The Geth ships are moving back."

Elsa tapped her badge. "Understood, Melody, we'll head back to the ship. Where's Sapphira?"

"She's heading your way."

Just then, Sapphira and Anna landed on the scene. Anna jumped off of the AGE-3's back and removed her helmet, rushing over to Elsa and embracing her. " _Nira_!" she cried out joyfully.

Elsa hugged her wife back. "It's okay, Anna. I'm here."

Anna held her close. "I was scared."

"I know, I'm sorry. I didn't want you getting hurt."

Anna slapped Elsa across the face. "That's for making me worry!"

Elsa went red in surprise.

Anna smiled tenderly. "And this…is for staying safe." She kissed her wife's lips.

Elsa chuckled. "I love you, Anna."

Sapphira got out of her suit and took off her own helmet, looking at the scene. "Looks like we missed some shit, Mama."

Future Saph landed by her, transforming back to normal. "Sorry," she excused. "We kinda had things handled over here."

"Aw, man!" Sapphira groaned. "And I had this big fight routine all worked out. A kick here, a buster blast there."

"I know; I did the same thing to Saren just now."

Just then, a loud clanking and grinding started up behind them. Kristoff turned around, then said, "Umm, guys?"

As they turned to look, the beacon started to retract into the ground. The noises the crew were hearing was ancient underground machinery working.

" _Qu'as ei kiru_?!" Anna exclaimed.

"Liara?" Elsa asked.

"I don't know, Captain!" the Asari replied.

Within moments, the beacon had fully disappeared underground, and a large cylindrical container rose up in front of them.

Elsa looked over at the container, gasping. "What is this thing?"

Angela scanned the container, and her eyes widened. "Captain, there's something inside of it…and it's alive."

"What do you mean? What's in there?"

Angela looked at Elsa. "You're not going to believe this, but this life form…it's a Prothean."

xXx

 

 **Author's note:** For those who've played Mass Effect 3, I think you know who that Prothean is gonna be. See you next time! Also, you'll be getting Chapters 5 and 6 a lot sooner than you might think. Chapter 5 is coming out on Wednesday and Chapter 6 the following saturday.

Translation -  _Qu'as ei kiru =_ What the fuck

Hope to see ya'll then!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 

_Captain's log, supplemental. Elsa Frost speaking. Our victory on Eden Prime has yielded a fascinating discovery. A Prothean, alive in some kind of stasis pod, was found under the artifact that Saren Arterius was after. We have now brought the pod onboard the Archangel, but we're not sure if we should open it. We don't know what the Protheans were like, or how they might react to us. I've got Dr. T'soni, Tali, and Melody looking at the pod now. Maybe we can at least figure out how to activate it._

Elsa was in the Archangel's communications room, in contact with Alliance Command about the recent mission to Eden Prime. The current leaders of the Galactic Alliance were stationed on the Citadel, which had now become a capital of sorts for the Alliance, with the individual races still having their own leaders on their respective homeworlds. There was Terissa Thesslayne of the Asari, Valern Esheel of the Salarians, Sparatus Qunetius of the Turians, Donnell Udina of Earth, Adella Triton of the Aquatans, Ingrid Olafsen of the Arendellians, and Gilbert Durandal, former chairman of the Zetan Alliance, now representing both the Zetans and the ORB Union on the council.

"Captain Frost," Terissa greeted her. "You have a report for us on your recent actions on Eden Prime?"

"Yes, Councilor, I do," Elsa replied.

"Good," Udina said in a rather disconcerting tone. "Because we've heard some rather disturbing personal reports from people who were on the colony."

"With all due respect, Councilor," Elsa told him, "my crew did the best they could."

"Please forgive Mr. Udina, Captain," Durandal put in. "He's rather new to this job. Please continue."

"Very well. As you all probably know from my text report, we are currently working with a time traveller: my daughter from the near future."

"Whose world was wiped out by some new Geth ship, correct?" Sparatus asked.

"Yes, councilor," Elsa acknowledged. "We saw this new Geth ship at Eden Prime, under the command of former Zetan Prefect, Saren Arterius."

"The ex-Spectre strikes again," Sparatus mused.

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Spectre?"

"The Spectres were an elite task force years ago," Sparatus explained. "Enforcers of justice throughout Citadel space. Saren was among the most respected, until he lost favour in the force and decided to join up with the Zetans."

"I see. I always did wonder why a Turian would work for the Zetans since the Citadel was on the side of the Federation."

"What about the Prothean artifact you mentioned?" Adella asked.

"That turned out to be some kind of tomb. It was some sort of beacon for a Prothean stasis pod."

"A stasis pod?" Durandal gasped. "You mean that Prothean is still alive?"

"Yes, but we aren't opening it yet. We don't know how they might react."

"A wise choice, Captain," Valern remarked. "Let us know if anything new comes up."

"Of course, Councilor," Elsa agreed.

The councilors' holograms faded away, and Kristoff then entered the room. "So how did they take it?"

"Better than I'd hoped," Elsa responded. "How's the repair work on Eden Prime?"

"Kira and Athrun are working on repairs to Lacus's estate," Kristoff replied. "And the Normandy crew are delivering aid to the civilians in the main colony."

"And our Prothean pod?"

"Under watchful eye down in cargo bay 5," Kristoff explained. "Dr. Ziegler and Dr. T'soni are still trying to figure out how to open it."

"How long do you think that Prothean has been in there?"

"Well if I remember my academy history class," Kristoff remarked, "the Protheans went extinct around 50,000 years ago, so he's probably around that age."

"That would make him the oldest sentient being in the galaxy," Elsa noted.

"I dunno," Kristoff mused. "I'm pretty sure there's a species somewhere in Zangyack territory that's older than that. Altean or something."

"Let's hope that this Prothean is one of the nicer of his kind," Elsa stated.

xXx

 

Down in the cargo bay, Angela and Liara were examining the stasis pod, while Commanders Shepard and Amari looked on.

"This pod is incredible," Liara said. "I'm surprised it's still working."

"I'm more surprised at the Prothean," Angela added. "According to the scans, its body functions are still normal, even after all these years. It's amazing."

"Not as amazing as you, Doctor," Fareeha flirted.

Angela rolled her eyes. "Flirt later, darling; I'm busy."

The door to the cargo bay opened, and Elsa and Ariel walked in. "How's our friend?" Elsa asked.

"Stable," Liara reported. "But I still don't understand why Shepard and Commander Amari need to be here."

"It's procedure, Liara," Elsa explained. "When dealing with new alien species, be prepared for hostility."

"I doubt that's going to be necessary," Angela remarked. "We still don't know how to open this thing."

"Perhaps I can help," Ariel offered. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the stasis pod. "I can sense fear, anger, and…something else."

"Can you figure out any way to get them out?" Elsa asked.

"I'm an empath, not a telepath," Ariel remarked. "But I do sense a connection between you and this pod."

"What sort of connection?"

"I'm not sure."

Elsa walked over to the stasis pod, stroking her hand along its smooth, shiny surface. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the pod like Ariel did. The pod glowed green, and a bit of smoke came out.

"Elsa!" Angela cried.

Elsa opened her eyes and walked back slightly. "Oh my God."

The pod started to open itself up, its top section splitting in half and opening up like a wardrobe. Inside the pod was a tall humanoid creature with grey, scaly skin. His head was rather large, and he had four yellow eyes arranged in pairs. He was wearing red armour that resembled that of an Earth samurai.

The creature opened its eyes, and its body glowed green. It reached out with its hand and grabbed Elsa's neck. "You!" it demanded. "Where am I?"

Shepard and Fareeha pointed their rifles at the creature, but Elsa held up her hand to stop them. "You're in a safe place," she answered. "We don't want to hurt you, but we will if you don't let me go."

The Prothean released Elsa. "I do not recognise your species."

"Arendellian," Elsa stated.

The creature looked at Elsa. "You look different. I remember your species having different hair."

"Evolution is a funny thing," Elsa replied. "My name is Elsa Frost. I'm the captain of a starship."

"I assumed this was some kind of ship," the creature stated. "My name is Javik, commander of the third Prothean infantry."

"So you are a Prothean," Liara said in awe.

Javik looked at Liara. "You are an Asari. I remember your people as well."

"I've been fascinated with your kind most of my life," Liara said, excitement creeping into her voice. "I've written journals, reports, studied your culture-"

"Your kind finally mastered writing?" Javik interrupted. "I did not think I would see this day."

Liara looked at Javik, insulted. "What? I spray all my praise on you, and you insult me?"

"Easy, Liara," Shepard comforted her.

"I was only stating my feelings," Javik said.

Elsa sighed. "Maybe you could tell us more about yourself, Javik. Like what was the beacon we found you in?"

"Beacon?" Javik's eyes widened. "Where is it?"

"It's on Eden Prime, but It's been used."

"Used? By whom?"

"Me. It beamed something into my brain."

Javik looked Elsa over. "Impossible. You are not Prothean."

"I obtained something called a Cipher a while ago," she explained. "I think that's why it reacted to me the way it did."

"That would explain things," Javik admitted.

"What was the vision that was sent to me, anyway?" Elsa asked. "I saw this line of code before my eyes, and what looked like your people dying by the hands of that new Geth ship."

"New Geth ship?" Javik inquired, confused.

Angela showed him a hologram of Saren's warship. "This is what we saw down on Eden Prime."

Javik scowled. "I do not know what a 'Geth' is, but I know that is not their technology."

"Then what is it?" Elsa inquired.

Javik looked at Elsa. "It is a Reaper. They were a race that slaughtered all life for millions of years, eliminating the strong but letting the weaker and less-evolved species survive…only to return when that species had evolved to their peak."

"What happened to them?"

"We defeated them. We had built our technology on warp gates known as mass relays, and the Citadel was one of those relays."

"You didn't build the Citadel?" Liara asked.

"No," Javik answered. "We found it, and discovered that it was a gateway to a pocket dimension where the Reapers laid in wait. When the time was right, they would use the Citadel to spread over the galaxy."

"I take it that didn't happen," Elsa assumed.

Javik nodded. "When the Reapers came, we used a weapon we called the Crucible to seal them into their own dimension. How one of them survived is unknown."

"That must be what Saren's after," Elsa realised. "He did mention bringing something back and changing the galaxy."

"Then he will need the three elements of the Catalyst matrix," Javik said. "It is the main control program for the Crucible. We broke it into three sections to keep it hidden, so no one could undo what we did."

"Where are the other two sections?" Elsa asked.

"I do not know. I was only sent to guard the section on Eden Prime."

"We need to find out," Elsa stated.

"I can help with that. We Protheans had the ability to use our biotics to store information, like that code in the beacon. Perhaps if anyone with biotic or empathic abilities could assist me, I may be able to locate the next beacon for you."

Elsa nodded. "Liara and Ariel can help you."

Liara made a face like she was about to refuse, but knew her judgement shouldn't get the better of her duty. "Very well, Captain," she said reluctantly.

"I'll gladly help as well," Ariel added.

The Prothean looked at them. "I trust you primitives are more than capable."

"You could say so," Ariel told him.

Elsa sighed. "This is gonna take a while."

xXx

 

Down on Eden Prime, Kira and Cagali were inspecting the remains of Lacus's estate, figuring out how it was all going to be repaired.

"This is one giant mess," Cagali commented.

"ORB was once a mess like this, remember?" Kira reminded her.

"True. I suppose this isn't as bad as a whole damn city getting leveled, but I bet Lacus is feeling bad about it now."

"Did somebody mention my name?" Lacus asked as she and Athrun walked over to them.

"Yes, we did," Kira stated.

"How big are the repairs gonna be?"

"Well, we can restore the basics of your estate," Cagali explained. "The walls, the rooms, and so forth. But the furniture and everything else can't be done so easily."

Lacus sighed. "And I thought Eden Prime would be a peaceful place to live."

"It will be, in time," Athrun stated.

Lacus walked over to the remains of her kitchen and found the components of her replicator. "I suppose my replicator might still work. Anyone want a snack?"

"If it still works, I'm game," Cagali remarked.

Lacus pressed a button on the replicator, but all that came out was a glob of beige goop. "Sorry, guys. Looks like it's busted."

Athrun licked some of the goop on his finger. "Mmm, doesn't actually taste so bad."

Kira licked some as well. "Tastes like cake mixture."

"Well it's better than nothing," Cagali remarked. "I'm in."

The four of them sat down and Lacus managed to spoon some of the goop into bowls for them. "This is the most undignified meal I've ever had."

"At least we're having it together," Kira stated. "As a fuple."

Cagali giggled. "A fuple?"

"What else would you call us all?" Kira wondered. "We're not a couple or a threesome, and foursome sounds a bit too boring."

"Well if that's what you want to call this, then fuple it is," Lacus acknowledged.

"I bet they'll be adding it to the galactic dictionary any day now," Athrun joked.

When the four had finished their goop, Athrun and Kira went back to the colony to check on the repairs there, leaving Cagali to look after Lacus.

As Lacus headed into the remains of the garden, Cagali followed her. "You okay, Lacus?"

Lacus nodded. "I'm fine. This isn't the first home I've lost."

"I know, but…I care about you."

Lacus smiled. "I know, Cagali. I care about you as well. We've both been through a lot over the years."

Cagali held her hand. "That is true."

Lacus then looked at Cagali, kissing her cheek. "Keep yourself and Kira safe out there, okay?"

Cagali smiled. "I will. And Lacus?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

Lacus's face beamed. "I love you too." She then leaned close and kissed Cagali on the lips.

xXx

 

"So who's heard about our crew member?" Melody remarked as she and Tali made their repairs to the Archangel.

"He's not actually a crewmember, Lieutenant," Angel responded.

"Neither's the future version of my wife, but everyone's treating her just the same."

Angel rolled her eyes. "Oh, for…heaven's sake."

Melody stifled a laugh. "What was that?"

"I don't like swearing," Angel replied flatly. "You guys can do it if you want to, but I won't."

"I agree with you, Angel," Tali added. "I only swear in Quarian, and not many people understand Quarian."

Melody giggled. "Alright, what's the Quarian for fuck?"

Angel facepalmed. "You two are strange, you know that?"

"We're friends with Sapphira," Tali remarked. "You'll get used to it."

Tracer then sped onto the scene. "The AGE-3's fusion reactor's been recharged!" she reported cheerfully.

Melody smiled. "Good work, Lena."

Tracer looked around. "By the way, where's Sapphira? The present one, not the future one."

"I'm not sure," Melody replied.

"Let me find her for you," Angel said. She called up a holographic map of the ship and looked at it for a few seconds, then said, "She's in the hangar bay."

"Wonder what she's doing there?" Tali wondered.

"Beats me," Melody said with a shrug.

xXx

 

In the hangar bay, Future Saph was sitting in front of her timeship, pondering her life.

Sapphira entered the hangar and approached her future self. "I thought I'd find you here."

"Oh, hey," Future Saph mumbled.

"What's up?" Sapphira asked her.

Future Saph sighed. "I was just thinking. I just altered the timeline…but I'm still here."

"I thought that's how time travel worked." Sapphira said. "If you change the past, the future changes as well."

"Well, not exactly. You see, I only changed  _your_  future. The future that I came from is still the same. It's like traveling from one universe to another. Or something like that; I don't remember how my Lena explained it."

"Melody told me how you kissed our Lena," Sapphira told her. "What was she like? Your Lena."

Future Saph shrugged. "Pretty much the same as yours. After I lost my Melody, I thought I'd never recover. But…Lena was always there for me. No matter how bad things got, she never stopped smiling. She always went the extra mile for me, even painting over her chronal accelerator for our wedding." She chuckled. "I remember how happy Mom and Mama were, seeing me married and happy again."

"How did they get on in your future?"

"Pretty well, but…it was clear that they were trying their damnedest not to lose hope. By that point, hope was pretty much all we had left." She sighed. "They were the leaders of one of the only groups of survivors left in the galaxy. And as Mama got older, she started to get a bit more… eccentric."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"Mama started to develop a disease that humans would call Alzheimer's or dementia. It was heartbreaking seeing her go through that. Maybe now that I've changed things, that won't happen for her in this timeline."

Sapphira sighed. "Tell me something. Did…did Mama say anything to you? Before she was too far gone?"

Future Saph shook her head. "No. It got really bad for her really quickly. Without Dr. Ziegler, we couldn't find a treatment. And…Mama knew that. She didn't want to be a burden."

Sapphira's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, spirits…did…did she…?"

Future Saph nodded. "Yes. She performed  _rekoj'eht_ : ritual suicide."

Sapphira sighed. "What about Mom?"

"We didn't have much time to grieve. Because the same day, our base was attacked by the Geth. Mom and the others…they gave their lives to give me a chance to go back and set things right." Future Saph blinked back tears, and added in a shaky voice, "I promised myself that I wouldn't let their deaths be in vain…and that's a promise that I intend to keep."

"But when we win, because I know we will, what will you do?"

"I'm not sure yet. I hadn't planned that far ahead. But in any case, can you do something for me?"

"Sure, what is it?"

Future Saph looked into the eyes of her younger self. "Give Melody a kiss for me, okay?"

Sapphira nodded. "I will, I'll give her the best damn kiss ever."

Future Saph giggled. "You really are me, aren't you?"

"Of course I am,  _nira'tei._ "

" _Nira'tei_?" Future Saph asked. "That means…"

"Older sister," Sapphira replied. "Future Saph doesn't really fit with me."

Future Saph smiled. "Yeah, I agree. How about…Kiara? From  _ki'aris,_ the Knydaxian for 'future'."

Sapphira nodded. "Alright then, big sister Kiara Frost."

Kiara hugged her younger self. "Take good care of Melody, you hear me?"

Sapphira saluted he., "Yes, ma'am."

Kiara smiled as Sapphira headed out of the hangar. "I loved being her."

xXx

 

Sapphira headed down to where Melody and Tali were working. "Hey ladies, need a hand over here?"

"Oh hey there, love," Tracer remarked. "We've been looking all over for you."

"Sorry, I was just chatting to my new big sister," Sapphira explained.

"Big sister?" Melody asked. "Did my in-laws have a kid I didn't know about?"

"Nah, my future self just changed her name. She's probably gonna stay around in our time after this mission."

"Well, we'll be happy to have her around," Tali remarked. "If she stays on this ship, that is."

Sapphira then looked at Melody. "By the way, she told me to give you a message,  _tudko_."

"What's the message?"

"This." Sapphira then crashed her and Melody's lips together, kissing her passionately.

Tracer went red at the sight of the two women making out. "Umm, Tali, you think we should go work in the other corridor?"

Tali nodded hurriedly. "Yes, I think that'd be best."

xXx

 

In her quarters that evening, Elsa was sitting by the window, looking out at the stars. Her mind dwelled on their current mission, and on the things that their Prothean visitor had revealed to them.

"You okay,  _nira_?" Anna wondered, walking over to her with a cup of coffee.

"I've just got a lot on my mind, Anna," Elsa told her. "These past few days have been a bit rough on all of us."

"I can understand that," Anna replied. "I'm sorry for slapping you on Eden Prime, by the way."

Elsa giggled. "No need to be sorry, Anna. In a way, I guess I deserved it."

Anna handed her the coffee. "Do you think we'll be able to beat him? Saren, I mean?"

"I don't know, Anna. It reminds me of when I first took command when Hans came back. We were all scared back then, and if I'm honest, I'm scared right now."

Anna put her hand on her wife's shoulder. "Don't worry, Elsa. I'm here for you, just like you've always been here for me."

Elsa got up and hugged her wife. "I love you, Anna. I say that a lot, but over the years… I've loved you so much."

"I love you too, Elsa. You're my sister…my family."

Elsa looked at her wife. "You're everything to me."

"As are you, my queen," Anna told Elsa. As she started to lean closer to Elsa, their lips touched in a soft kiss.

Elsa held her wife close, pulling her towards and onto their bed. Anna wrapped her arms around Elsa's back, helping the Arendellian out of her uniform. Elsa kept kissing Anna, their lips joined together like the couplings on a train carriage.

Anna undressed herself, her tattoos glowing a soft blue. Elsa reached down and felt her wife's warm folds, causing Anna to moan gently. Anna then grabbed Elsa's larger breasts, kissing and licking them. Elsa giggled and kissed her wife, embracing her as she got on top of the slightly smaller Knydaxian.

Anna looked up and blushed. "You're in your horny state, aren't you,  _nira_?"

"You have no idea," Elsa smirked, kissing Anna. She started to pepper Anna's stomach with her kisses, gently kissing down to Anna's pussy.

Anna gasped. " _Nira_!"

Elsa started to suckle on Anna's folds, letting the Knydaxian share her own desire for her body.

Anna moaned louder, her tattoos glowing brighter. Elsa licked her deeper, her tongue entering her wife and feeling inside.

"Elsaaaaaa!" Anna cried in joy as she came.

Elsa lapped up Anna's juices and smiled.

Anna grinned. "You're such a good girl, Elsa."

"I believe the captain has taken advantage of one her officers," Elsa cooed, crawling next to her wife. "I want to be punished."

Anna then transformed into her true form. "Then your punishment is the traditional Knydaxian true tentacle."

Anna's energy tail coiled around Elsa's leg and entered her pussy.

"Oooohhh!" Elsa moaned in delight.

Anna kissed Elsa's lips as her tail pumped in and out of Elsa.

"Mmmmmm!" Elsa groaned sensually into Anna's mouth as she was thrusted like a dog.

Anna slid her glowing tongue into Elsa's mouth, the horny Arendellian sucking it like a cock. All the while, Anna's tail kept pounding Elsa senseless.

Elsa soon broke the kiss, clining to Anna. "Ohhh Anna…I'm gonna…. Ooohhhh!"

Elsa's juices washed over Anna's tail, her pussy pulsing and her body going limp.

Anna transformed back and cuddled Elsa. "Feel better,  _nira_?"

Elsa nodded. "So much better, Anna. You're the best wife ever."

"I'm yours,  _tudko_ ," Anna vowed. "Forever and ever."

Elsa leaned up and kissed her wife, and the two fell asleep in each other's arms.

xXx

 

Down in the cargo bay, Ariel, Liara, and Javik were meditating, trying to determine where the second beacon was.

"Aquatan," Javik said. "When you look through my thoughts, what do you feel?"

"I feel the pain you've been through, Javik," Ariel replied. "Your actions in the war against the Reapers, how hardly any of your kind were left after the war…the heartbreak…."

"I do not feel this pain," Javik told her. "I do not let myself feel emotion. I am a soldier. My purpose is to my empire."

Liara was looking deep into Javik's mind. Her fascination with the Protheans was starting to turn sour. Everything she had ever believed about the Protheans was being completely destroyed. In Javik's mind, she saw them as a cruel and powerful empire, much like the Zetans were. "This is horrible," she muttered.

"I beg your pardon, Asari?" Javik asked.

Liara looked at him. "Javik, I know you Protheans thought of yourselves as high and mighty, and up until the moment we met, I felt that too. But looking through your thoughts with Ariel these past few hours, I've realised how gullible the galaxy was to believe in the legends of you. You were horrible."

"Liara, calm down," Ariel interjected. "You're tired; you need some rest."

"No…" Liara spoke coldly. Her biotics started to glow a bright blue.

Javik's biotics glowed as well. "Listen, Asari. I am a warrior. My purpose is to help you stop the Reapers and restore the Prothean Empire."

"And then what?!" Liara argued. "I've been looking through your thoughts for the past few hours, and I am disgusted."

"Liara, please just calm down."

"You saw it too, Ariel!" Liara shouted. "His people practically enslaved other races, just like the Zetans did with Elsa's planet."

"Only to protect them," Javik said. "The strength of the Protheans comes from unity."

Liara sighed. "It's always about strength, isn't it? Whether it's the Zetans, Saren, or you, the excuse is always the same. We Asari are a peaceful race for a reason. Yes, we have a military, but only for self-defence."

"It would seem that I  _have_  been gone for quite some time." Javik remarked. "Now, the Asari are not only able to write, but also to defend themselves with something more than sharpened sticks."

Liara growled and punched Javik in the face.

"Liara!" Ariel snapped.

Javik wiped the bruise, and it healed itself in a matter of moments. "Asari?"

Liara started to storm out of the room, but Shepard then arrived. "What's going on in here?"

"That Prothean is nothing more than a Zetan with four eyes!" Liara said angrily. "I've seen what his race was, and…. I'm so disappointed and angry. I don't want to be around him."

Shepard sighed. "I'm sorry, Liara."

"Liara," Ariel expressed. "I know this is hard for you, and you've done good work here, but just rest now."

Liara sighed. "Maybe I do need some rest, but at this rate, we'll never find that second beacon."

Javik walked over to her. "Listen, Asari. Do you want to know what I truly thought about my empire?" He met Liara's eyes. "I thought we were strong once, and were justified in our decisions. I've spent my time in stasis examining it all, and if I am honest…perhaps we deserved extinction. Even if we had saved our galaxy, there were only a few of us left, and we were all soldiers of a doomed empire. I am truly trying to help you here."

Liara looked at him. "You mean…you aren't like what I saw?"

"I never said I wasn't; only that I am now trying to be different. Honouring my people by being a tyrant will make me just as bad as the enemy we fought so hard to stop."

Liara sighed. "Then Javik, I'm sorry for what I said."

"No, I am sorry. For not being what you expected us to be."

Ariel smiled. "Well, I'm glad that was sorted out quickly."

"We still need to find that beacon, though," Liara added

"Perhaps we should just focus on other matters," Javik stated. "I would prefer personal conflicts not to get in the way of a mission."

"I can agree to that," Shepard said.

xXx

 

_A cold, dark forest, burning with a deep red fire. Elsa Frost didn't know where she was, but she could hear the soft whispering of the Prothean voices._

" _Where am I?" She said, her voice echoing. "Hello? Anna? Sapphira?"_

" _You will burn," a booming voice declared._

_Elsa heard the sound of water rushing past her, like she was under the ocean. There was a sudden flash of bright light, and Elsa saw a planet covered in water and raging storms in front of her eyes._

_The Reaper flew at her at great speed, a loud noise blaring._

"Ahhh!" Elsa screamed, bolting upright.

" _Nira_?" Anna said, looking at her wife. "Are you okay?"

Elsa sighed. "Yes," she panted. "It…it was just a nightmare."

Anna felt Elsa's forehead. "You're burning up, Elsa. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, really."

Elsa's commbadge then beeped. "Shepard to Frost."

Elsa pressed the badge. "What is it?"

"Good news, Elsa. Liara and Ariel have managed to pinpoint the second beacon."

"Where?"

"We don't know. Somewhere in the Kepler Verge cluster. It's only a vague push in the right direction."

"Hang on a second," Elsa then tapped her combadge. "Cagali, are you on duty?"

"Yes, Captain. Sapphira and I were just tucking into the night shift. What's wrong?"

"Could you scan the Kepler Verge cluster for any ocean planets?"

"Just a second." Cagali was silent for a few seconds, then said, "There are about ten ocean planets in that cluster. Why do you ask?"

"Just a hunch. Are there any ocean planets with high storm frequency?"

"One: Desponia."

"Set a course for there. I think I know exactly where that beacon is."

"Aye, Captain."

"Elsa," Anna asked, "is this to do with your nightmare?"

Elsa looked at her. "Yes, but don't worry. Even the worst dreams can lead to good things."

As her wife got up and walked away, Anna sighed. "But most bad dreams can often come true."

xXx

 

"In a dream?" Kristoff asked. "I thought Ariel was supposed to be the one who had visions around here."

"I know it's strange," Elsa admitted as they had coffee together in her ready room.

"Well, I just hope that dream was a sign of good fortune," Kristoff admitted.

Sapphira poked her head through the ready room door. "Mom? There's someone here who wants to see you."

"Well in that case, I'll excuse myself," Kristoff remarked, leaving the room.

Elsa smiled. "So, who's my mystery visitor?"

Sapphira stood aside, and a young woman walked into the room. She resembled Sapphira greatly, but was slightly older. Her hair was Anna's strawberry blonde, but in a braid like Elsa's. "Kiara Frost reporting for duty, Captain," she said, saluting.

Elsa recognised the woman as the future version of her daughter. "Future Saph?"

"Yeah," Kiara explained. "You see, since I've altered the past, I can't go back to my original timeline. And I figured since I'd be sticking around, I should change up my look so nobody confuses me for the other Sapphira."

Elsa smiled. "It suits you. Anna and I always did think of having a second child not long after Saph was born."

"Speaking of which, Kiara wants to be a part of the family," Sapphira replied. "As my new big sister."

"In that case, how can I refuse?" Elsa got up and hugged her new daughter. "Welcome to the family, Kiara Frost."

Kiara hugged her mother back. "Thanks, Mom."

Elsa's commbadge then beeped. "Elsa, we're at Desponia now," Cagali reported.

"Alright, Cagali," Elsa replied. "Think you're ready for your first new mission, Kiara?"

Kiara saluted her mother. "It'd be my pleasure."

The Archangel came out of warp in orbit of Desponia a few moments. The planet had only recently been discovered, and was quite out of reach from most Alliance territories.

Elsa sat down on the bridge as the rest of her officers, as well as Javik, arrived. "This is definitely the planet from my dream."

"I cannot see why my people would place the beacon here," Javik mused. "We were not exactly an aquatic species."

Tracer checked her console. "No sign of Saren, Captain."

"I think we're early, then," Elsa said.

"Perhaps he hasn't found this one yet," Kristoff proposed.

"Could be," Sapphira put in.

Tracer's console lit up. "Ummm…Captain?"

Elsa got up. "What is it?"

"We've got a ship coming in," Tracer reported.

"Geth?"

"No…it looks like it's Cerberus."

Kristoff suddenly cried out in pain, collapsing to the floor. "Gahhh!"

"Admiral!" Kira exclaimed.

Angela rushed to his side. "He's having some kind of physical reaction. I've not seen anything like this before."

Suddenly a Cerberus cruiser dropped out of warp in front of the Archangel, its guns pointed at it. It was a long ship, with a front reminiscent of the Minerva.

"That's a new ship," Melody noted. "Looks like Cerberus has been stealing some Zetan intel."

"The ship is hailing us," Cagali reported.

Elsa looked at the others and then at the viewscreen. "Put it through and get Admiral Bjorgman to sickbay."

As Angela and Kira got Kristoff to sickbay, the viewscreen changed to show the bridge of the Cerberus vessel. The commanding officer of the vessel was a man with longish blonde hair, wearing a Cerberus uniform. While most of his face could be seen, his eyes and forehead were concealed behind a grey mask. Standing next to him was a young woman who appeared to be the same age as Sapphira, wearing black-and-gold armour and a matching helmet that hid her face.

"Captain Frost," the commander greeted them. "I am Commander Neo Roanoke, chief officer of Cerberus Military Operations. I would like to request that you cooperate with us, or suffer the consequences."

xXx

 

 **Authour's note:** Whoo boy that was a long one. I hope my interpretation of Javik was alright with everyone. See you next chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 

"We haven't got time for this!" Elsa snapped at the Cerberus commander. "Lives across the galaxy are at stake."

Neo Roanoke held his hands together. "We understand that, Captain Frost. We are also trying to do our part for the galaxy."

"Then why are you here?" Elsa demanded.

"To assist you. You see, we've known that there was a Prothean artifact at the bottom of that ocean for some time. We just weren't aware of its significance until now."

"Cut the bullshit, Commander," Anna interjected. "The last time Cerberus 'assisted' us, you completely rewrote my daughter's DNA for the sake of some twisted science project."

"Now, Lieutenant," the woman standing next to Neo chided in a rather British-sounding voice. "My commanding officer was merely stating the facts. Besides, only we know where the Prothean device is."

As she spoke, Sapphira felt a strange chill run down her spine. She didn't know what it was, but she was certain that this woman was the cause of it.

Javik growled. "Then tell us now, or I will bring down the wrath of the Protheans upon you."

"Easy, big guy," Shepard calmed him.

"We'll only let you know where it is if you agree to work with us," Neo stated. "If you refuse to cooperate, we'll leave and let you fend for yourselves. Your choice. You have 5 hours." With that, he closed the communication.

"Well, that was certainly interesting," Kiara remarked.

"I've never seen that Cerberus guy before," Elsa said. "Or the woman who was with him."

"I sensed something about her," Ariel commented. "She was hiding something."

"Of course she was," Melody interjected. "This is Cerberus we're talking about here. Even politicians don't lie as well, or as often."

"What do we do?" Kiara asked Elsa.

"I don't know," Elsa answered. "But right now, I have a first officer in the sickbay, and I need to check on him."

"In that case, mind if I take over the bridge?" Kiara offered.

Elsa smiled. "By all means."

xXx

 

Down in sickbay, Angela was examining Kristoff, who had now recovered. "You had a nasty shock there, Admiral," she told him.

"Tell me about it," Kristoff said. "It felt like my brain was going to explode."

"Have you ever suffered from anything similar before?" she asked.

"Not that I can remember. A friend of mine did once, but that was a really long time ago."

Elsa then arrived in sickbay. "Kristoff, you feeling okay now?"

Kristoff nodded. "Aside from the fact that I felt like I was gonna throw up my breakfast, yes, I'm fine."

Elsa chuckled. "I see you sense of humour hasn't gone away."

"I take it you're the bearer of bad news," he assumed.

Elsa nodded ruefully. "Cerberus showed up. They have a new cruiser; looks like they either copied or stole the design specs for the Minerva. The commander said he knew where the beacon was, but he wouldn't tell us."

Kristoff stroked his chin. "So they only way to get it out of them is for us to work with them?"

"That's right," Elsa replied. "But I'm unsure. I mean, this is Cerberus we're dealing with."

"I can understand that, but Saren is probably on his way right now. He could be here any moment."

"I know that, but again, this is Cerberus. They don't exactly play nice."

"Well, Elsa," Kristoff stated, "it looks like we're going to have to date the devil in this case."

Elsa sighed. "Kristoff… if something happens to me over the course of this mission, can you promise me one thing?"

"What's that?"

"Take care of Anna and my family."

Kristoff smiled. "I'll do my best, Elsa. But why are you asking me?"

"I don't know, but…I just feel like this could be the beginning of the end."

Kristoff out of bed. "Well, it's not going to be, you hear me?"

Elsa smiled. "I hear you."

xXx

 

Two hours had passed since Neo Roanoke had contacted the Archangel, and Sapphira was in her quarters, meditating. She was concentrating on the mysterious woman who had been seen on the Cerberus ship.

The door to her quarters opened, and Anna, entered. "Are you alright, little one?"

Sapphira opened one eye. "Yes, Mama, but there's something I'm concentrating on."

"That masked woman?"

"Yeah. I don't know why, but when I think of her, I get this strange feeling."

"It's the  _ure'shiq_ ," Anna explained. "A feeling we Knydaxians get when we're near one another and can sense each other's abilities. I had it when the future you arrived in our time."

"Her name is Kiara now, mama," Sapphira corrected her.

"Sorry, I forgot," Anna excused. "I do like her choice of name."

Their commbadges then beeped. "All officers to the bridge."

"Looks like it's go time," Sapphira remarked. The two of them headed to the bridge together. Soon, Elsa arrived and took her place in the captain's chair.

"What's our plan, Elsa?" Anna inquired.

"We're gonna go with Cerberus for now," Elsa stated. "I don't like it, but it's probably our best bet at getting to that beacon before Saren does. Angel?"

The holographic woman appeared beside her. "What do you need, Captain?"

"Open a channel to the Cerberus ship."

"Yes, Captain," Angel replied.

Neo Roanoke's face appeared on the screen. "Captain Frost, have you reconsidered our offer?"

"I have," Elsa replied. "And I've decided to work with you."

"Excellent," Neo said. "Agent Aurora here will escort you to the beacon." He then gestured to the woman standing next to him.

Anna and Sapphira narrowed their eyes at her.

"Very well, beam her aboard," Elsa stated.

"Of course, Captain," Neo replied before ending the transmission.

Elsa tapped her commbadge. "Commander Amari, bring your security team down to transporter room nine. We're going to have a visitor."

"Aye, Captain," Fareeha replied.

Elsa and her team headed down to the transporter room, where Fareeha was waiting.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Mama," Sapphira replied.

Anna gave her a comforting look. "Things will be okay, little one."

The transporter activated, and Agent Aurora beamed onto the Archangel, coldly looking at the crew through the sensors on her helmet. "So, you're the famous Archangel crew."

"Yes we are," Elsa stated.

"Aurora, Cerberus Special Operations agent, at your service." She bowed in front of Elsa. "My Queen."

Elsa raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You're Arendellian?"

"Partly," Aurora replied. "I assume you'll be wanting to know where the Prothean beacon is?"

"Yes. Come with me." Elsa led Aurora to the conference room, where the agent activated a holo-projector in her gauntlet, showing a map of Desponia's ocean.

"The beacon is several miles underwater in the planet's northern hemisphere," she explained. "We discovered it while surveying the planet some time ago."

"Is there a clear path to it?" asked Liara.

"It's in an underwater cavern, but the entrance is near the bottom of a trench, and there are some large coral and rock formations that'll make getting to it rather difficult."

"Let us handle getting there," Kristoff told her.

"I intended to, Admiral," Aurora replied.

Sapphira eyed Aurora with suspicion. There was something about this woman that set her on edge, and it wasn't just the Cerberus logos on her armor.

"Alright here's the plan," Elsa stated. "Liara, Kiara, Sapphira, Melody, we'll go with Aurora to the cavern. Kristoff, you're in command of the Archangel with Anna until we get back."

"I can go as well," Javik offered. "We Protheans can survive underwater for longer than most humanoids."

"Alright," Elsa agreed. "You can come as well. We could need your help if we can't activate the beacon."

"Good luck down there, Melody," Ariel told her daughter.

"Relax, Mom," Melody said confidently. "This isn't my first away mission."

xXx

 

On the Cerberus warship, Neo Roanoke was in communication with his leader, the Illusive Man.

"Commander Roanoke," the Illusive Man said. "I see you've made contact with the Archangel."

"Yes sir," Neo replied. "Agent Aurora will be escorting them to the site of the beacon. I've already received word from the underwater teams that the charges have been set in the cavern. Once Aurora gives the word, those Alliance fools will be buried alive down there."

"Excellent." The Illusive Man lit a cigarette. "But I don't want you leaving orbit until you're completely certain that Captain Frost is dead."

"Don't worry, sir. If we don't kill them, that psychotic Turian will."

"I somehow doubt that. To their credit, the crew of the Archangel are surprisingly resilient."

"Maybe so, but the Archangel crew haven't encountered me before."

The Illusive Man chuckled. "Get too cocky, and they won't encounter you again."

Neo then ended the communication. "Not on my watch, they won't."

xXx

 

The Archangel flew down into Desponia's atmosphere, heading for the planet's surface.

Sapphira sat at her position on the bridge in silence. Ever since Aurora had come on board, that sense of recognition, that " _ure'shiq_ " Anna had told her about, had been stronger than ever.

"Kristoff," Elsa said, "I think it's time for us to try out our new party trick."

"Way ahead of you, Elsa," Kristoff replied. "Preparing to close water inlets."

"Wait, water?" Kiara asked. "Since when is the Archangel a submarine?"

"Since it was upgraded," Angel told her. "It was around the same time I was first installed."

"Water inlets closed," Melody reported. "Switching engines to hydro mode."

"This ship's just full of surprises, isn't it?" Aurora commented.

The ship descended into the planet's stormy skies and landed on the water's surface, gently sinking beneath the waves.

"Archangel seaborne," Sapphira reported.

"Good," Elsa said. "Tell us where we're going, Aurora."

"We need to disembark first," Aurora stated. "The Archangel is too big to fit into the trench."

"Alright. Kiara, Sapphira, Melody, and Liara, suit up and get ready to go."

"Aye, Captain," Melody replied.

The away team left in a small modified shuttlecraft, heading towards the trench. "If my coordinates are accurate," Aurora told them, "then the trench should be just ahead."

"Take us down, Melody," Elsa instructed.

Javik closed his eyes. "The Cerberus woman is correct. The beacon is near here."

Aurora smiled. "You see, my queen?" she said to Elsa. "Cerberus isn't against you here."

Elsa frowned. "I beg to differ."

"If we were, then why would we have offered our assistance?"

"Because you care about saving your own skin as much as we care about saving lives."

Aurora chuckled. "Still holding that petty grudge, I see. Cerberus' primary concern is the advancement of humankind. And our mutual associate Saren is a threat to that."

"You captured and violated my daughter, and nearly assassinated me on the Citadel. I don't see what either of those things have to do with the advancement of humankind"

"Then you're not seeing the bigger picture."

"Mom, we've arrived at the cavern," Kiara reported.

"Good," Elsa replied. "Now let's get this beacon and get out the hell of here."

The team disembarked from the shuttle in scuba gear and swam into an opening near the bottom of the trench. The opening was a tunnel that led upwards into the large, open cavern.

Javik looked at the center of the area, seeing the beacon. "There it is," he said, pointing to it.

Melody climbed up out of the water . "Come on! Let's grab it!"

"Alright, I'll take its portion of the matrix," Elsa stated, removing her scuba mask. "You guys guard the entrance."

"Be careful, Mom," Sapphira cautioned her. "Remember Eden Prime."

"Don't worry, I'm getting better at this." Elsa walked over to the beacon and closed her eyes. The beacon glowed with green energy, and its contents were beamed into Elsa's mind.

Aurora watched with a malevolent gleam in her eyes as Elsa retrieved the information. "Prime the explosives," she whispered into a hidden communicator in her helmet. "Detonate on my mark."

Elsa dropped to the ground as the beacon deactivated. "There, it's done."

Liara scanned Elsa. "Your body seems to be more stable this time."

"Impressive, Captain," Javik remarked. "It's as if you are a Prothean yourself."

"Yes, good work, Your Highness," Aurora agreed.

Elsa pressed her earpiece. "Kristoff, any sign of the Geth?"

There was no reply.

"Kristoff?" she repeated.

Still no reply.

"Elsa Frost to Archangel. Is anyone receiving me?"

"What's wrong?" Kiara asked.

"Something's jamming the transmission," Elsa stated.

Aurora tapped on the side of her helmet. "I can't contact my ship either."

Suddenly, a group of Geth troopers swam out of the water at the entrance to the cavern.

"Crap!" Melody exclaimed. "We got company!"

Aurora pulled out a pair of blaster pistols. "That explains why our communications are down."

Sapphira and Kiara both started hurling energy blasts, taking out a few of the Geth. Aurora and Melody fired their pistols, and Liara and Javik used their biotics to aid in the fight.

Just then, Saren rose up from the water like a cobra, smirking at them. "Well, well. You seem to be doing all the hard work for me, Captain."

"Too late, Saren," Elsa told him. "Your little code is in my brain again."

"Ah, so you've finally caught on to my little plan," Saren remarked, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm. "Bravo, Captain. If you were under my command, I'd give you a medal."

"You won't win, Turian!" Javik argued. "The Reapers won't return."

Aurora suddenly pointed her guns at both Saren and Elsa. "Neither will you."

Saren chuckled. "And what is this? Some parlor trick?"

"I knew she'd turn on us," Sapphira muttered.

"Cerberus thanks you for your assistance, Captain Frost," Aurora said. "Had it not been for you, Saren would've gotten the beacon, and potentially conquered the galaxy. And now that he's no longer a threat…you've outlived your usefulness." She pulled the trigger, firing a blaster bolt at Elsa's stomach.

Elsa closed her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth, bracing herself for the burning pain of the bolt searing a hole through her flesh, but it never came. She opened her eyes to see a green energy field in front of her, and Javik holding out his hand towards her.

"No one harms her," Javik growled. "I may have only known this crew a short while, but I will fight for them. As a warrior should."

Saren laughed. "Well, in that case, I'll see you at the third beacon." The Turian then transported away.

Aurora frowned. "She'll die one way or another...and so will you." She tapped her helmet again. "Detonate them." The ground began to shake and rumble violently. Aurora smiled. "Have a nice death, Queen Elsa." With that, she was transported away as well.

"Get down!" Elsa cried as the cave collapsed on top of them.

xXx

 

 **Author's note:** Oh no! Elsa has been trapped in the cave! Will she escape with her friends alive? well of course they're going to fucking escape... I mean... I'm not that stupid. But yeah, you'll have to wait a bit for the next chapter, one whole week. But don't worry, I've got some Last Knydaxian shorts to put out on Wednesday to savour your appetites.

See you next time!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 

_Acting Captain's log, stardate 50247.9. Admiral Kristoff Bjorgman speaking. It's been half an hour since we detected Geth vessels in this system, but they, as well as our associates from Cerberus, appear to have left. Our main concern now is finding Captain Frost and the away team._

"Ensign Oxton, have you been able to raise them on the comm channel?" Kristoff asked Tracer.

"Negative, Admiral," Tracer reported. "I'm not sure why; could be interference from the storms."

Kristoff sighed. "Contact Tali. Tell her to equip Sapphira's AGE-1 for underwater operations."

"Admiral, you're not going after them, are you?" Kira asked.

"Someone's gotta go and save our friends," Kristoff replied. "It might as well be me."

"Let me go, Admiral," Kira offered.

"No," Kristoff said sternly. "The Strike Freedom is useless underwater, but the AGE-1 with the scuba attachment isn't. Just stay here; I'll report back once I've found them."

Kira sighed. "We'll be waiting, sir."

Kristoff left the bridge and headed down to the hangar, where the AGE-1 was being refitted by the machinery in the hangar.

Anna walked in behind him. "I heard something about losing contact with Elsa."

"Yeah, we lost contact ten minutes ago," Kristoff replied. "I'm heading out to look for them."

"Then take me with you," Anna requested. "If I can home in on Sapphira's energy, we can track them."

"Anna, for all we know, there might not be any energy for you to home in on."

"Then at least let me try." Anna pressed her belt buckle. Her flight suit formed around her, complete with her helmet. "We have to save my  _anaho_."

Kristoff sighed. "You always were a stubborn one, weren't you?"

She smiled a little. "It's a Knydaxian thing."

xXx

 

Meanwhile, down in the cave, Elsa and her team slowly opened their eyes, having braced themselves for the cave-in. They were surrounded by a dome of green energy, on top of which the debris had fallen. Javik was standing at the center of the dome, his hands raised up.

"Javik!" Liara cried. "You saved us!"

He slowly nodded. "Please...do not disturb me, Asari," he said, his tone indicating that he was exerting a fair amount of energy. "This requires intense concentration."

Kiara tried to get up, but found her leg was trapped by rock. "Ah, crap baskets."

Sapphira moved over to her. "Is your leg okay, sis?"

Kiara shook her head. "I…I think it's broken. I can't feel anything below my hip."

Liara moved over to Kiara, scanning her with her omni-tool. "Captain, her bones are practically pulverised," she said gravely to Elsa. "If we don't get her out of here soon…she could lose that leg."

"I have an idea," Elsa said. "Liara, use your biotics on the rock and gently move it up, Melody and Saph, when I give the signal, pull her free."

"That's all well and good," Liara replied, "but without immediate treatment—which none of us can provide—the risk is still present."

"You have medi-gel in your omni-tool, Doc," Sapphira pointed out. "It'll keep her wound stable, at least until Dr. Ziegler looks at her."

"Yes, but…." Liara sighed. "Never mind." She raised her hand, surrounding the rock with blue biotic energy. "At your pleasure, Captain."

"Alright," Elsa stated. "On the count of three. One, two, three!"

Liara lifted the rock, and Melody and Sapphira pulled Kiara's leg free. Liara then released the rock, which hit the ground with a loud THUMP.

"Well done," Elsa congratulated them.

Liara tore open Kiara's pant leg and administered the medi-gel onto the wound. "There. Now let's hope someone finds us soon."

Sapphira sighed. "I knew we couldn't trust that Cerberus agent. I had a bad feeling about her right from the start."

"It's not your fault, Sapphira," Elsa told her. "If anyone is to blame, it's me; I'm the one who went with them in the first place."

Sapphira sighed. "I guess, but…I can't help feeling responsible for this." She cast a sidelong glance at Kiara's injured leg. Even with the medi-gel on it, it was a mess: it was covered in reddish-purple blood, with small bits of bone sticking out through the skin.

Suddenly, Elsa's commbadge beeped weakly. "Elsa…we…are…you…boosting sig…."

Sapphira noticed the voice. "Is that Kristoff?"

Elsa's eyebrows shot up. "Kristoff? Can you hear me?"

"Barely…interference…very high…Anna's worried…where are you?"

"We're trapped in the cave. Aurora was a double agent; she collapsed it on us."

"Fuck…you…beacon?"

"The beacon is secure."

"We're gonna…beam…. Try and keep this channel…."

"Be careful, Kristoff." Elsa looked over at Javik. "Javik, I don't know how your biotics work, but I want you to shut them off. They could interfere with our transporter."

"I cannot," Javik replied. "Unless you wish to be crushed by this debris."

Elsa sighed. "I don't care. Everyone, put your scuba masks back on."

"Did you not hear me, Captain?" Javik said. "If I release the biotic field, we will be killed!"

"I did hear you," Elsa replied. "But we've got no choice."

Javik sighed. "Very well. I await your command."

Elsa nodded. "Kristoff, are you ready?"

A faint crackle that sounded like Kristoff replied.

"That interference must be getting pretty bad," Kiara noted.

"I'll assume that's a yes," Elsa said. "Get ready to beam us out. Javik, on the count of three, drop the barrier."

"Very well," Javik agreed.

"El...transpor...ready," Kristoff's staticky voice said.

Elsa looked at Javik again. "Alright. On three. One…two…three!"

Javik released the barrier, and the group were beamed out of the cave just as the rocks collapsed. They were beamed into the open ocean just outside of the cave, where Kristoff and Anna were waiting for them.

Anna's face beamed beneath her visor. "Please stop getting into trouble,  _nira_."

Elsa swam over to her wife and hugged her. "I can't promise that, baby, but I can promise to always come back."

Sapphira swam over the AGE-1. "Uncle Kristoff? is that you in there?"

"Yeah, it's me," he replied. "Hope you don't mind me borrowing your suit."

"It's fine, but stick to your own next time," she remarked.

Elsa smiled. "Come on, everyone; let's head back to the Archangel. We've still got work to do."

xXx

 

Back on the Archangel, Elsa stood in the conference room, making another report to Alliance Command.

"Captain Frost," Therissa greeted her. "We assume you have something to report on your mission against Saren Arterius?"

"We were able to get to the second beacon before he did," Elsa reported. "And interestingly enough, it seems that Saren is an enemy of Cerberus as well."

"I see," Udina remarked. "They may be terrorists, but they seem to have at least some scrap of nobility."

"So with two of these beacons out of the way, how many more does Saren need to find?" Valern asked.

"According to our new Prothean friend, just one and Saren will be able to activate this doomsday weapon," Elsa explained.

"Ah ye,s this Reaper business," Udina put in. "Are you sure this is accurate, Captain?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Javik told us everything."

"And you believe him, yes?"

"Yes. He saw it all firsthand."

"He's been in suspended animation for 50,000 years," Sparatus pointed out. "You can't expect him to have the most perfect memory after that period of time. Perhaps these Reapers were just something that his people created but turned on them, like the Geth."

"Maybe so, but he has no reason to lie to us."

"I say you should take what he says with a grain of salt," Durandal said.

"In the meantime," Sparatus went on, "we'll be sending out recon teams to try and find out if Saren has a base or not. If he does, we want you to lead and assault and take him out once and for all."

"Very well," Elsa replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, one of my crew was injured on our last mission."

"Of course, Captain."

With that, the holograms faded away, and Elsa headed down to the medical bay to check on Kiara. When she arrived, Dr. Ziegler met her. There was a grim expression on her face, and her hands were clasped behind her back. "Captain…I'm afraid I have bad news."

"What is it?" Elsa asked, even though she had a feeling she knew the answer.

Angela sighed, leading her into Kiara's room. The girl was lying on a bed in her underwear, hooked up to a heart monitor. Her body was smudged with dirt here and there, and her hair was slightly damp from being in the ocean. However, as Elsa looked down, she saw that where Kiara's right leg had been, there was a bandage-wrapped stump.

"The damage to the bones and muscle was too extensive," Angela explained ruefully. "I'm afraid…amputation was the only viable option."

Elsa covered her mouth. "Oh, God…it's all my fault."

Kiara looked up at her. "No it isn't," she said, her voice slightly hoarse. "Besides, this isn't gonna stop me." She smiled a bit.

"I've already started getting her ready for a prosthetic," Angela informed Elsa. "It won't be a biosynthetic limb, though; it's going to be all metal."

"Really?" Kiara asked. "Sounds awesome. Could you give it a flesh paint job or something? I'd rather not have people stare at it."

"They won't," Angela explained. "As long as you wear long pants and close-toed shoes, no one will ever notice it."

"Aww, but I hate long pants. No offense, Angela, but I kinda got sick of those over the years. I like cute skirts."

"Well, I'm afraid you'll have to get over that," Angela said with a smirk.

Kiara shrugged. "Eh, whatever. I could paint it myself. Hey, Mom, do you think Sapphira would mind if I had a picture of her painted on my prosthetic, like a tattoo?"

"The type of metal used in the prosthetic wouldn't allow any sort of ink or paint on it," Angela explained.

"Aw, come ON!" Kiara groaned. "Can it have holo-paint on it?"

Angela raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What's that?"

Kiara sighed. "Oh, fuck; that hasn't been invented yet, has it?"

Elsa couldn't help smiling a bit. This really was her daughter: she had been through hell, but she was still smiling and cracking jokes. "If you like, I can have a picture engraved into the metal."

"Yes!" Kiara cheered. "Thanks, Mom; you're always the best!"

Angela rolled her eyes. "I hope this doesn't start a trend of people willingly losing their limbs to get tattooed prosthetics."

Elsa laughed. "Don't worry about it, Doctor."

"Maybe I could have like a holster for my Gunblade built into my leg," Kiara mused. "Like that old movie you showed me once Mom, robo policeman or something."

"Robocop," Elsa confirmed.

Angela nodded. "That's a very common concept. I believe I can arrange that."

Elsa kissed her daughter's forehead. "I'm proud of you, Kiara."

Kiara blushed. "You know…you can still call me Sapphira if you want to."

"I know," Elsa replied. "But I like your new name."

Angela smiled. "Well, if you need me, I have other patients to attend to."

As Angela walked away, Kiara slowly sat up. "It's kinda weird, you know?" she said thoughtfully. "Waking up and finding that you lost one of your limbs." She looked down at the stump, which ended just below her hip. "It still feels like my knee is itchy."

"Do you need Mommy to scratch it for you?" Elsa offered.

Kiara giggled. "I don't need 'Mommy' to do anything."

"I know, I know. Old habits die hard."

xXx

 

Meanwhile, on the Archangel's bridge, Sapphira had just begun her bridge duty.

"Hey, Saph," Merida called to her. "I heard future you got hurt in the last mission. Is she okay?"

"I haven't heard yet," Sapphira replied. "But if she's like me-and trust me, she is-she'll pull through."

Melody then arrived on the bridge. "Hey, Saph, Dr T'soni and Commander Shepard are about to leave in their shuttle. You wanna go say bye to them?"

Sapphira nodded. "Sure, why not?"

"I'll take your bridge shift, Saph," Cagali offered, getting out of her seat.

"Thanks, Cagali," Sapphira replied.

Sapphira and Melody walked down to the Hangar bay, where Dr T'soni and Commander Shepard were about to leave. As they approached, Liara smiled at them. "Oh, have you come to see us off?"

"You could say that," Sapphira said.

Shepard looked at the two of them. "You know, you two, if you ever want a transfer to another ship, my crew on the Normandy would always be happy to have you."

"Thank you, Commander," Sapphira replied, "but we're happy where we are."

"I can see that," Shepard told them. "You take care of your mother, Sapphira. Elsa Frost is one of the greatest heroes in the galaxy, but even she needs her support."

"I promise," Sapphira agreed.

Melody hugged Liara. "Be sure to message me sometime soon, Dr. T'soni."

"I promise, Melody. Anything for my favourite student."

Liara and Shepard then got into their shuttle, taking off back to the Normandy.

xXx

 

Kristoff sat at his desk in his quarters, looking a picture on the monitor.

Anna then opened the door. "Kristoff? You here?"

Kristoff looked up. "Oh, hey, Feisty-pants. What can I do for you?"

"Just wondering how you were," Anna replied. She then noticed the picture, which was of a young man with blonde hair the same shade as Kristoff's. "Who's that?"

"His name was Mu La Flaga," Kristoff explained. "He was one of my best friends."

"Oh, I remember Elsa telling me about him." She looked down. "I'm…sorry about what happened to him."

"Don't be. Mu made a heroic sacrifice, one that singlehandedly ended the Bloody Valentine Conflict." Kristoff sighed. "He was a damned hero."

"Why are you looking at this picture?"

"I don't know," Kristoff told her. "I guess I just had some weird reason to see his face again."

Anna smiled. "Elsa just told me Kiara is going to make a full recovery."

"Recovery? I thought she lost her leg."

"She did, but…well, she's Sapphira. Nothing will stop her."

Kristoff chuckled. "If she keeps this up, she may be getting a promotion."

"She might not even stay on this ship after this," Anna replied. "But whatever she does, I'm proud to be her mother."

"I'm glad you are, Feisty-pants. Keep that family of yours happy, because that's what makes your life worth living."

xXx

 

Saren Arterius stood alone on a platform in a vast, dark room aboard his warship. The only light in the room illuminated the pathway from the door to the platform; beyond that, there was only an inky black abyss. "Master?" he asked.

A large red light blazed to life in the darkness, locking onto Saren as a shrill, ear-piercing screech assaulted his ears. The Turian gripped his head, gritting his teeth to keep from crying out in pain.

"You have failed, Saren!" a booming voice scolded him.

"Master!" Saren grunted.

"You have lost two of the beacons!" the voice said.

"Yes, but Elsa Frost still lives! And as long as she lives, we can retrieve those lost parts of the Matrix!"

"And you are certain of this?"

"We share the cipher," Saren explained. "And we will soon know the location of the third beacon; just as soon as I find it through the Prothean fibernet."

"I grow tired of your excuses, Saren. Perhaps this Elsa Frost would make a better herald than you."

Saren left the chamber and headed to the bridge of his ship. "Set a course for Virmire," he told his Geth pilot. "I have some meditating to do."

xXx

 

 **Author's note:** I kinda think the relationship between Saren and his master is very reminiscent of Unicron and Galvatron. Also I was a bit uneasy about giving Kiara a protsthetic leg, but I'm glad matty helped me to see the light there. Anyway, I'll see you next time!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 

_Captain's log, Stardate 50248.1. Captain Elsa Frost speaking. With our mission to Desponia now behind us, we are currently planning our next move against Saren and the Geth._

Elsa was in the Archangel's firing range with Fareeha, the two practising their shooting on the targets. Elsa pulled the trigger on her rifle and the laser shot went straight at the center of the target. "Bullseye."

Fareeha smirked. "My mother can shoot better than that."

Anna and Angela were sitting at the side, watching their lovers in their contest. "It amazes me how much Fareeha has grown," Angela commented. "Arendellians like Elsa and me can live for decades with little sign of aging, yet humans and other races are always growing and changing

"I know how you feel," Anna added. "I felt the same with Sapphira, and now with Kiara. How is she, by the way?"

Angela smiled. "I installed her prosthetic this morning. She was very excited about it. I must admit, I was surprised by her optimism. Back in my day, when a person lost a body part, they were so distraught they practically isolated themselves. But Kiara…"

"She gets that from me," Anna stated. "Ever since I was sold into slavery, I tried to keep a positive outlook on life. It was the only thing I really had."

"I almost envy it," Angela remarked.

Elsa hit another bullseye, punching the air. "Boo-yah!"

Fareeha chuckled. "You're enjoying this, aren't you, Captain?"

"A little bit," Elsa excused.

"Angela and I are having dinner in our quarters this evening," Fareeha said. "With everyone else going to that big celebration in the mess hall, I thought you would prefer a quieter situation."

"I'll think about it," Elsa replied. "But Anna and I may go anyway; we've sort of decided to have this little party in my new daughter's honour."

Fareeha chuckled. "You sound like my mother sometimes. I guess she got her parenting tips from being on Arendelle during the war."

"I heard. She was a member of the Overwatch resistance, wasn't she? That's how she met Angela."

"Yes, exactly," Fareeha replied. "What were you doing during the war?"

Elsa sighed. "I was mostly trying to forget Arendelle. But when I heard about the atrocities that Saren was promoting…I had to go back and try and change things. Unfortunately, it didn't go so well."

Fareeha nodded. "So Angela told me. You cut off his arm, right?"

"Yes, and because of that, Saren has a personal grudge against me."

"Hopefully, he'll be behind bars again," Fareeha replied.

"I hope so too," Elsa stated. "By the way, I'm winning by ten points."

"Anna is right; you never do like to lose," Fareeha remarked.

xXx

 

Down in Sapphira's quarters, Kiara was showing off her prosthetic leg to her younger sister. "So, sis, what do you think?" The leg was made of a smooth silver metal, with thin gaps around the knee and ankle to allow for a full range of motion. On the outside of the leg was an engraving of Elsa, Anna and Sapphira, with the words "my family" written underneath.

"That's awesome!" Sapphira cheered, amazed by the workings of the prosthetic.

"It gets better: watch," Kiara said. A hatch opened on the leg, and her gunblade moved out. "Ta da! It's got secret weapon storage."

"That's so cool." Sapphira told her. "But can you still transform?"

"I haven't tried yet, but I probably won't need to. I mean, we won't be getting any action for a while."

"That's true."

The door to the room opened, and Melody walked in. "Hey Saph, we're just about to get ready for the party. You wanna help out?"

"Sure," Sapphira replied.

"Party?" Kiara inquired, surprised. "Nobody told me about a party."

"Well, it's a 'welcoming you to the crew' party, and a 'we beat Saren twice' party," Melody told her.

Kiara chuckled. "Doubt I'd fit in any of my-I mean, your clothes, Saph."

"I'm sure the replicator can provide you with some appropriate party wear," Sapphira stated.

"Yeah, but no dress uniform," Melody told her. "That'll just make it look too formal."

"I'll take your word for it," Kiara replied.

xXx

 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the galaxy, a Salarian special ops team were scouting a nearby system, having been sent by the Alliance to search for Saren Arterius.

"Nothing on scanners yet, Major," reported one of the officers, Cedan.

Major Kirrahe, the team's commanding officer, moved over to him. "Keep looking. This Saren fellow is of particular interest."

"Did you hear he works for the Geth?" one of the other Salarians commented.

"No, he doesn't work for them, he's their leader or something," another replied.

"Sadart, Porsirn, cut the chatter," Kirrahe ordered. "We need to remain aware at all times for anything that could be related to Saren."

The two Salarians sighed. "Yes, sir."

Something suddenly blipped on Cedan's scanner. "Major, I've got something."

"What is it?" Kirrahe asked.

"I don't know, but it appears to be a similar energy signature to the one the marines on Eden Prime reported; the one from that new Geth vessel."

"That could be Saren," Kirrahe mused. "Where is it?"

"Virmire, in the Sentry Omega cluster."

"That's near the Terminus systems," Kirrahe stated. "Not exactly the first place one would look for a secret base."

"Should I set a course to investigate?" Cedan inquired.

"Yes, do that, Private," Kirrahe told him. "Porsirn, send a message to STG command. Tell them we may have found Saren's base."

The Salarian shuttle soon arrived in the Hoc system, where Virmire was located. The ship activated its stealth cloaking to avoid detection by the Geth scanners.

"There's definitely activity down there," Porsirn stated. "Massive power readings coming from a chain of islands in the planet's southern hemisphere."

"That must be where the base is," Kirrahe noted. "We'll go in quietly, land on one of the smaller islands and do a scan."

"Isn't that a bit risky, sir?" Cedan asked.

Kirrahe frowned. "When you're the STG, you take as many risks as life throws at you."

The shuttle descended into the atmosphere, landing on a smaller island. The team got out, wearing their combat armour, with Cedan taking a pair of binoculars to scan the nearby island. With his naked eyes, however, he could clearly make out a massive fortress, with Geth ships flying to and from it. In the centre was a tall tower, to which Saren's flagship was attached.

"That's a fortress, alright," Cedan said.

"Have we been spotted?" Kirrahe asked.

"I don't think so sir," Cedan stated. "But we should probably get moving soon. I doubt it will take long for their sensors to detect us."

"They could have detected us already," Porsirn theorised.

"Well, they haven't found us yet, but we should wait until dark," Kirrahe instructed. "At least then they won't be able to physically see us."

"Let's hope you're right sir," Cedan stated.

xXx

 

On the Archangel, Angel was helping set up the party decorations in the mess hall.

At that moment, Ariel walked over to her. "Oh hello, Angel," she stated. "Have you seen Melody anywhere?"

Angel did a quick scan of the ship. "She's in Sapphira's quarters right now."

Ariel smiled. "Thank you, Angel. You've really been a big help here on the ship."

"I must admit, all the things I've done on this ship so far, they've really been a test of my programming," Angel told her. "There's never a dull moment."

"Well, you're right about that," Ariel said with a chuckle.

"Tell me, Counselor Ansaris," Angel said. "Where do you think my programming came from?"

"Well, I remember hearing something about Knight Industries and Tadashi Hamada, so I'd wager your programming came from him."

"Yes, but that's not the entire story," Angel said. "You see, my artificial intelligence was derived from actual intelligence. Human neural pathways, encoded onto a data module that became my central processor. The technical term for me is a 'smart AI.' The only difference between your brain and mine is that my brain's a computer."

Ariel looked at Angel with pride. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that brain of yours is becoming very philosophical."

"You can sense that?"

"No, I can't read emotions of robots or androids," Ariel explained. "But I've been around long enough to know when someone is thinking about life like that."

"I know. I have your personal history in my databanks."

Ariel chuckled. "There really isn't a thing you don't know, is there?"

"Actually, there's plenty that I don't know," Angel replied. "Like I said, I'm a smart AI; I learn things as I go along."

"Well, I should be going," Ariel stated. "I have to get ready for the party. Enjoy yourself, Angel-if that's a section of your programming, that is."

"I have emotions," Angel said in a joking tone. "Human brain, remember?"

xXx

 

Up in her quarters, Elsa was getting ready for the party, posing in front of the mirror in her sparkly blue formal dress. When she wore this gown, she looked more like a queen than a captain, and part of her preferred that.

Anna walked over to her, wearing a slender lime-green gown. "Still wearing that sparkly dress of yours?"

Elsa chuckled. "I think I may need to have it re-sized. I've probably put on some weight since the last time I wore it."

Anna embraced her wife from behind. "I don't care if you've put on weight, I'll always love you,  _nira_."

Elsa closed her eyes and sighed. "I know we're doing this for Kiara, but at the same time, I'm still worried as hell. Saren is out there, searching for that third beacon. And if he finds it, he'll come for me and what I took from those other two."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Anna vowed. "If that skull-faced  _veran_ goes after you, he'll have to get through me first."

Elsa held Anna's hand. "Thank you, Anna."

"Now come on, the party's waiting for us," Anna told her.

xXx

 

Back on Virmire, darkness had fallen, and the Salarian team were preparing to get to orbit to send a transmission about the base they had found.

"Porsirn," Kirrahe asked his officer. "Have Sadart and Cedan returned from their patrol yet?"

Porsirn looked up from the console in the shuttle. "No sir, they're not back."

Kirrahe stroked his thin chin. "Something must have happened to them. They were due back an hour ago."

"What should we do?"

"Stay with the shuttle and send the transmission from here. It might be a bit garbled to whoever gets it, but we can't go to orbit yet."

"What about you, sir?" Porsirn inquired.

"I'm going to look for Sadart and Cedan," Kirrahe said, cocking his blaster. "Hopefully, they aren't in too much trouble."

"Good hunting, Major," Porsirn told him.

Kirrahe walked away from the shuttle and into the nearby woods, hearing the noises of alien wildlife in the trees above him. In his entire career as a commander in the Salarian STG, no one under his command had ever been this far behind schedule. Something was wrong; he knew it.

"Sedart! Cedan!" Kirrahe called out in a loud whisper. "Where are you two? We need to get moving!"

There was no reply.

Kirrahe sighed. "If I find you two goofing off, I…Oh my God."

As Kirrahe went into the next clearing, he found Sedart and Cedan, their bodies lying on the grassy floor. Their chests and limbs had been torn to shreds by what appeared to be claws.

"Oh no," Kirrahe realised. "Porsirn!" He ran back to his ship as fast as his skinny legs would carry him. If someone had found his crew, then it would only be a matter of time before they found his ship.

Suddenly, Kirrahe heard a massive explosion from behind the trees in front of him. "Porsirn!" he cried out. Kirrahe ran back into the clearing where his shuttle was, finding his ship now a burned wreck, Porsirn's charred corpse slumped by the door.

"Oh, sweet Asari blue…." he weakly said.

At that moment, he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. "A pity your friends had to die like they did," a cold voice told him. "They fought quite admirably, for Salarians."

Kirrahe turned around to see Saren walking towards him slowly. "Saren. How dare you kill my men!" He raised his blaster and pointed it at the Turian.

"Very good, Major," Saren remarked. "I see your reputation as an STG officer is well-deserved."

"Why are you here?!" Kirrahe demanded.

Saren chuckled. "That, I'm afraid, is only for me to know."

"I won't let you get away with this!" Kirrahe scolded him. "My private sent a transmission to a nearby Alliance ship. They'll be here in a matter of hours."

"I know," Saren said. "I was the one who sent it."

"B-but-"

"I killed your soldier, then finished his task for him as he lay bleeding to death. I've finally figured out the location of the third beacon, and soon, I'll have my vengeance on Elsa Frost once her ship has received the transmission."

Kirrahe's eyes filled with tears. "You butcher! You were a man of honour once, Saren! A Spectre!"

"And what did that do for me? I enforced the law, I brought justice, but in the end, it was just a vicious cycle. Catch one villain, and another sprouts up in his place. That's why I joined the Zetans: to break the cycle."

"And that's how you justify what you did on Arendelle?! On Eden Prime?! On Feros?!"

"I don't justify anything, Major," Saren remarked. "I know the things that must be done for galactic peace, and I'm the only one with the guts to do it."

Kirrahe screamed. "Murderer!" He squeezed the trigger of his gun and unloaded a full clip of laser shots at Saren.

Saren chuckled, the laser shots not even denting his skin and armour. "You really think a simple laser would kill me so easily? Major, you are DEAD wrong!" He then charged at Kirrahe, his cybernetic arm transforming into its sword mode and stabbing Kirrahe in the stomach.

Kirrahe grunted in pain, green blood running from his mouth.

Saren pulled out his blade and Kirrahe slumped to the floor, dead. He then looked up at the sky. "And now, Elsa, it's your move again."

xXx

 

In the Archangel's mess hall, the victory party was in full swing. Most of the crew was there, dancing to the music being played over the speakers and having drinks. Sapphira and Melody were in the corner, watching the party. Sapphira was wearing a simple blue dress, while Melody was in a traditional Aquatan robe.

"Reminds me of our wedding reception," Sapphira commented, sipping her wine.

"Are you even okay to drink that?" Melody asked. "I mean, your shift on the comm center is right after the party."

"It's only synthehol, Mel," Sapphira told her. "I'm not actually gonna be drunk."

Melody rolled her eyes. "Well, if you fall flat on your face, I'm not dragging you back to our quarters."

Sapphira laughed. "You like me lying down."

"Well, on top of me, anyway," Melody remarked with a wink.

Sapphira blushed at Melody's innuendo.

"Speaking of you, or people who are pretty much you, have you seen your sister?" Melody inquired.

Sapphira looked into the crowd, seeing a lot of the crew's female officers gathered around Kiara as she showed them her prosthetic leg through the slit of a green dress she was wearing. "Wow, didn't know I get that many girls when I'm older."

Melody chuckled. "I bet she finds a girlfriend at this party."

"Nah, I don't think she's ready for a relationship just yet," Sapphira stated.

Kiara then walked over to them, smirking. "Hey, sis."

"Hey, Kiara," Sapphira replied. "You like the party?"

"It's pretty good," she said. "Although, you could turn up the music a little bit."

Sapphira shrugged. "Blame the noise regulations."

"We couldn't help noticing how popular you are with the ladies," Melody put in.

Kiara rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, hard to believe so many girls are going for me."

"Have you thought about where you're gonna go when this is all over?" Sapphira asked her.

"Not sure, but I don't think I'll be taking my timeship with me," she said. "I mean, it's not like anyone's gonna use it, is there?"

"In that case," Melody said, "mind if I try and take it apart, see how it works?"

"Go for it," Kiara acquiesced. "Just don't get rid of the emblem on the side."

Elsa and Anna walked over to them. "There you all are," Elsa said. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Kiara was showing off her robot leg to some of the girls around her," Sapphira excused.

Elsa chuckled. "I guess she takes after me."

Kiara showed Elsa her robotic leg. "What do you think, Mom?"

"It looks pretty badass," Elsa commented.

"Even some ancient Knydaxian warriors might tremble in fear at the sight of that," Anna added.

Kiara giggled. "Thanks, moms."

On the other side of the room, Kira, Athrun and Tracer were over by a window, Tracer sipping on a drink. "You want some of this, boys?" she offered.

Athrun and Kira shook their heads. "No thanks, drinks like that give me a bad stomach ache," Kira stated.

"Suit yourselves," Tracer remarked, continuing to sip her drink. "By the way, Kira, love your jacket."

Kira was in very casual clothing, with a brown leather jacket. "Really? You think my jacket's cool?"

"Hell yeah, I do. I used to have one like it myself," Tracer stated. "But I kinda lost it when I was posted to the Archangel. Shame, really; looked just like a bomber jacket, the ones old Earth pilots would wear."

"I get what you mean," Kira acknowledged.

"I think it's quite fashionable," Athrun told him. "If you had worn that on ORB, all the girls would've been going for you."

"Oh, stop it, seriously. It's a jacket. And besides, we've both got girls."

"Speaking of those girls," Tracer said, "I wonder what they're up to."

Over on the dance floor, Cagali was waltzing with her girlfriend, Lacus Clyne. Lacus wasn't there in person, but was using a holographic projection to be able to interact with them.

"This is a great party," she told Cagali. "I just wish I wasn't still stuck here on Eden Prime."

"At least you got your telepresence projector working," Cagali replied.

"I know, but they're supposed to be shipping us off to Arendelle soon, so the colony and my house can be re-built."

"Why there?"

"Captain Frost's cousin, Rapunzel, has agreed to take us in," Lacus said. "It should be safer there."

"I've always wanted to go to Arendelle," Cagali stated. "Sapphira tells me it's a beautiful planet."

"Trust me, it's one of the most beautiful places in the galaxy."

"I can think of more beautiful places, Miss Clyne," Cagali said with a flirtatious wink.

Lacus rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you've been taking love advice from Kira again."

"Might be. Did it work?"

Lacus gave her a kiss. "I'll give you a point for trying. By the way, thanks for wearing your uniform for me."

Cagali was wearing her ORB ambassador uniform, something Lacus found her very attractive in. "I kinda look like a dork in this with everyone being so casual."

"I know, but you did it for me, and I appreciate it."

"Be safe on Arendelle, Lacus," Cagali said.

"I will." Lacus gave her one final kiss goodbye before her hologram faded away.

xXx

 

On the Archangel's bridge, Kristoff was on command duty in the captain's chair. Just because half of the ship's crew were at a party didn't mean some of them didn't have to work.

"Merida, anything to report?" he asked Ensign Dunbroch.

"Nothing yet, sir," Merida replied. "I thought you'd be down at the party."

"Parties aren't my thing anymore. I guess I'm getting a bit too old."

"Sir, you're only 38," Merida said. "I wouldn't call that old."

Kristoff laughed. "I guess that's a compliment."

Merida then noticed something on her screen. "Hold on a sec, I think I've got something. A priority transmission directly to us."

"From who?"

"It's a Salarian frequency, coming from…a world in the Sentry Omega cluster."

"That's pretty far from here, and definitely not in Salarian space," Kristoff noted. "Put it through."

Merida nodded. "The transmission is a bit garbled, but I'll try and boost the signal."

A distorted image of a Salarian appeared on the viewscreen. "Archangel… this is… Porisin…STG…have found Geth…Virmire…. Need assistance… Geth vessel sighted… please hurry…." The transmission then ended.

Kristoff got up. "Get me Elsa. I think she'll want to hear this."

xXx

 

 **Authour's note:** I hope you all don't mind how I'm putting chapters like this after the big major things in the story. I just want to give the characters a time to breathe and relax and to catch their breath. Also, I'm particulaly proud of how I did Saren here. You'll see some more stuff with him in the next chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 

Elsa and her senior officers sat in the Archangel's ready room, watching the Salarian transmission. Their little celebration had been cut short, but that didn't bother anyone. After all, interruptions like this had become quite common on the Archangel.

"Alright," Elsa told her friends. "So according to this, Saren has a base on Virmire, in the Sentry Omega cluster."

"Seems a good place for a base," Kira remarked. "That's right between the Zangyack Empire and the Terminus systems. No way anyone from our side of the galaxy would look there."

"Did they show any schematics or plans of the base?" Sapphira asked.

"Not that we know of," Kristoff told her. "All we got in the transmission was the message from the Salarian officer; nothing more."

"So we're going in there blind," Kiara said. "Terrific."

"Why would Saren have a base anyway?" Melody inquired. "I mean he's been going around in that Reaper ship of his."

"In my time," Javik said, "when our enemies found something of great importance, they would build a fortress to protect what they had found."

"You're saying Saren's found something on Virmire?" Sapphira asked him.

"Maybe it's the next beacon," Tali theorised.

"Whatever it is," Elsa told them, "this may be our best chance of going after Saren and stopping him once and for all."

"That's all well and good, Captain," Athrun replied, "but we don't know a thing about this base. For all we know, it could be a trap."

"I say we send someone ahead," Kristoff stated. "Someone who can get in and out quickly."

"I'll do it," Kiara put in. "I've been wanting a chance to stretch my new leg after Desponia."

"Are you sure you're up to it, Kiara?" Angela inquired. "I haven't fully tuned your prosthetic yet."

"Don't worry, doc," Kiara replied. "I'll be fine." She then looked at Elsa. "I'll use my powers to cloak a Skygrasper fighter, and just fly over the base."

"That sounds risky," Anna cautioned. "The Geth sensors could see through the cloak."

"Hey, I just like the odds against me," Kiara remarked.

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Alright, but don't lose any limbs this time. You've already put your family through enough trauma because of it."

"Don't worry, Mom; I'll be in and out before they know it."

xXx

 

_Captain's log, supplemental: We have moved the Archangel to the very outskirts of Virmire's system, to hopefully avoid Geth sensors. My daughter Kiara is preparing to launch to scout the base, and from whatever she finds, we'll be able to devise an attack plan._

Elsa was in the flight lounge of the Archangel, looking down on the hangar. She was slightly nervous about what Kiara had agreed to do, but Kiara was her officer and after all, she was the reason they were all on this mission in the first place. She watched as the Skygrasper fighter was moved into position, awaiting its pilot.

Kiara walked up behind her, wearing her armour. "Hey, Mom."

Elsa turned around and smiled. "Your ship's waiting."

"I know, but I just wanted to see you before I went," she replied. She walked over and hugged her. "Mom, if I don't come back, I want you to know that seeing you again has helped me. I lost you once, but I know that if I'm here with you now, I'll never lose you again."

Elsa hugged her daughter. "You will be coming back, Kiara. Count on it."

Kiara saluted her mother. "Yes, ma'am." She then headed down to the hangar and walked towards her fighter, climbing into the cockpit.

"Is it okay for you in there, sis?" Sapphira asked.

"A bit cramped," Kiara told her. "The seat is way too far forward."

"It always feels like that," Sapphira stated. She then put her hand on her shoulder. "Good hunting."

"Don't worry,  _nira'sai_ ," Kiara replied. "This won't take me long." The cockpit then closed up, and the fighter took off out of the hangar.

"Be safe…  _nira'tei,_ " Sapphira said.

As her ship left the Archangel, Kiara placed her hand on the console in front of her. "Okay, cloaking now." A wave of blue light surrounded the fighter, and it faded out of visibility. The fighter flew towards Virmire, entering the atmosphere.

"Kiara to Archangel," she radioed in. "I'm entering Virmire airspace now."

"Any sign of the Geth yet?" Kristoff asked.

"Not yet," she answered. "Wait a second." Out of the clouds, Kiara spotted Saren's fortress, his Geth army preparing for some kind of offensive. "I've spotted Saren's forces. He has a base here, alright-and it's fucking  _huge_."

"Have they spotted you yet?" Elsa then inquired.

"No, I think I'm good for a closer look," Kiara responded. She took her fighter closer to the base, making a few scans of the island fortress. As she made her run by the base's defences, one of the turrets took aim at her ship and opened fire.

"Agh!" Kiara cried. "I'm hit!" She tried to fly her fighter away, but two Geth ships closed in on her and began pelting her with laser fire.

"Okay, that's bad. Kiara to Archangel: my fighter's damaged. I'm gonna eject. It was a trap; Saren knows we're coming! Repeat,  _Saren knows we're coming!_ "

"Kiara!" Elsa shouted.

Kiara pulled a lever by her seat and the cockpit of her fighter detached, launching her into the air. She then activated the jets on her suit, gently flying down into the ocean below. She gasped for air as she surfaced, removing her helmet. She watched as her fighter crashed into the waters nearby and sighed. "Well, there goes my ride."

She looked up to see a Geth gunship hovering overhead, a squad of Geth troopers taking aim at her.

"Oh,  _kiru jai._ "

xXx

 

"Kiara!" Elsa shouted, banging on the console. "Kiara!"

Kristoff put his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Elsa."

Elsa looked down. "No, it's not. She's down there, and Saren has her now."

Sapphira and Melody then arrived on the bridge. "What the fuck happened down there?!" Sapphira exclaimed.

"Her fighter was shot down," Kristoff explained. "She's either been captured or she's dead."

"No she can't be dead," Elsa said. "She wouldn't let her sacrifice be in vain."

"We have to go rescue her!" Sapphira argued.

"We will," Elsa promised.

"What? Elsa, she said we shouldn't go after her!" Kristoff protested.

"I know, but she's part of my family," Elsa replied sternly. "She lost one family already, and I'll be damned if I let her lose another."

Kristoff sighed. "This day just keeps getting more and more complicated."

"Captain Frost?" Angel's voice stated. "There is a transmission for you."

"Put it on screen, Angel," Elsa said. "Hopefully it's someone on our side."

The face of Eric Ansaris then appeared on the viewscreen, a cheerful smile on his face. "Minerva to Archangel. We've been monitoring your communications. Thought you guys could use a hand."

"Dad!" Melody called out.

"Hey pumpkin," Eric said to his daughter.

Elsa smiled. "Eric, it's good to see you. I suppose you understand what's going on right now?"

"Just about," Eric replied. "I'll beam aboard and we can draw up a strategy together, just like old times."

xXx

 

A while later, Eric was with Elsa and the others in the Archangel's conference room. "So I take it we have a Turian maniac to deal with and a crewmember to rescue?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Kristoff answered.

"Just replace Turian with Zetan and it's just like how Ariel and I first met," Eric remarked.

Elsa pressed a button on the table and a hologram of Saren's base was projected in front of them. "This is what Kiara was able to make out before she got captured."

"That's one big base," Eric commented. "What's that up there?" he asked, pointing to Saren's warship.

"That's Saren's new ship," Sapphira informed him. "Javik referred to it as a 'Reaper'."

"It's the most powerful ship I've ever seen," Elsa stated. "It took a million shots from the combined fleet on Eden Prime and didn't suffer a single dent."

"Looks like taking that thing down is going to be hard," Eric put in.

"The base and getting Kiara out are our priorities," Kristoff said. "We'll worry about that ship later."

"Here's what we do," Elsa began. "Eric, you and Kristoff will lead an all-out frontal assault on Saren's base. Keep them occupied, give them everything you've got."

"Let me guess: you're gonna lead a team into Saren's base to rescue Kiara," Eric predicted.

"Precisely," Elsa confirmed. "Anna, Sapphira, Tali, Fareeha, Angela, Javik, you'll make up that team with me."

Javik smiled. "I look forward to getting back at that Saren creature. Killing him will be a great honour."

"Easy, Javik," Melody told him. "Rescue first, kill later."

"In my time, it was the other way around," Javik responded.

"You Protheans must have been all sunshine and rainbows," Eric remarked.

"I beg your pardon?" Javik looked at Eric in confusion.

"It's like… you know how…." Eric facepalmed. "You know what, let's just forget I said it and move on."

"Always the diplomat, aren't you, Dad?" Melody sarcastically said, rolling her eyes,

xXx

 

Kiara opened her eyes in a darkened room. The last thing she could remember was being knocked out by one of the Geth troopers as she tried to fight back. "Where am I?" she groaned. "Oh, my head." She held out her hand and saw that her armour had been removed. "Great, my suit is gone." She tried to make her hand glow. "And it looks like so are my powers."

She went over to what appeared to be a blue energy field. She was in a cell deep in Saren's base. There seemed to be more than just Geth in the base. Turians, Asari, Krogan: there were a wide variety of personnel at Saren's command. Clearly, though, he preferred to take his Geth into combat.

"Huh," she muttered. "I guess Saren has more influence than we thought."

One of the Krogans then noticed her. "Hey, the prisoner is awake."

A Salarian looked over at him. "You're right, she is. We should inform the master."

An Asari walked over to Kiara's cell and scanned her. "She does not appear to have access to her powers. We'll be safe out here."

Kiara smiled. "Wanna bet?" She punched the force field, making the Asari jump back.

The Krogan chuckled. "She certainly is a feisty one."

At that moment, Saren then arrived. "What is going on here?"

"Your latest prisoner is awake, Master," the Salarian reported to him.

Saren smiled. "Ah good. I was hoping to have a chat to her."

"Works for me," Kiara replied. "Drop this force field, and we can talk about whatever you want."

"As you wish," Saren pressed a button on the side of the cell.

Kiara cried out in pain as several hundred volts of electricity suddenly hit her, and she collapsed to the floor.

Saren chuckled. "My apologies-that was the wrong button."

Kira panted heavily. "You enjoy torture a lot, don't you?"

"Once, I did, yes," Saren told her. He then pressed another button on the side of the cell, and the force field dropped. "Come, I wish to show you something."

Kiara immediately bolted towards the door, but was tripped by Saren before she got more than a few feet from her cell. He grabbed her by the throat and put a collar on her. "Try that again," he warned her, "and everything above your neck will be a fine red mist."

"You really are a generous host," Kiara remarked.

"Only to keep my guests in line," Saren told her. "Besides, once I've shown you my base, you may reconsider your loyalties."

"Don't count on it. I won't betray my family."

Saren led her out of the cell and through his base. The base itself seemed nothing like an enemy stronghold; it was more like some kind of scientific research station.

"You know, Sapphira, you and I are quite alike," Saren said. "We're both doing our parts to change a world we thought was wrong. You came back to change your future, and I am trying to change my present."

"First of all, my name is Kiara," she said. "And second, I'm nothing like you. The only thing you and I have in common is that we're both missing a limb."

Saren chuckled. "Tell me, Kiara. What does your mother say that I am up to? In my current mission?"

"Trying to bring something called the Reapers back to destroy the galaxy," Kiara answered. "And doing a pretty bad job at it."

"The Reapers are not destroyers, my dear," Saren told her. "They are…the enforcers of the universe itself, if you will. Tell me, do you think Arendelle or Thespis Prime would be more peaceful worlds if the Zetans had never conquered them? Or Earth if the various world wars had never broken out? Or the Quarians if the Geth had not rebelled?"

Kiara frowned. "What are you getting at?"

"Conflict, my dear," Saren told her. "Organic and inorganic, Federation and Empire, good and evil; they're all two sides of the same coin. If there were no conflict, pain, or suffering, the universe would be a better place. If that conflict and suffering spreads, it becomes an infection on all of galactic society. A virus. And the Reapers are the only cure for that virus. By destroying the galaxy, they will save it. Through my ship, Sovereign, I have learned of technologies and sciences beyond the capabilities of any modern species."

Kiara rolled her eyes. "I had a feeling you were gonna kill me, but I didn't think you'd do it by boring me to death."

"Alright, I'll make it simpler for you," Saren stated. "You remember that Krogan by your cell? You want to know what set him apart from any other Krogan? He had been cured of the genophage. You can't believe how many Krogans have suffered because of that. The cure wouldn't have been possible without my advanced knowledge."

"Just because you can save lives, doesn't mean you should have the right to take them," Kiara argued. "I've seen you in action. You're just a cold-blooded killer."

"You call it murder, I call it making way for progress."

"Well, now I know what to tell Mom," Kiara taunted. "She's up against a bad Hans knockoff."

"Hans was a fool. He just wanted to conquer his own empire. He let his delusions of grandeur overwhelm him, and look what happened to him: space dust floating around the Earth's sun."

"And you aren't?"

"I want exactly what your mother wants: to bring peace to the galaxy. The difference is that I am willing to go to whatever lengths are necessary to achieve that." Saren led Kiara down into one of the labs in his base, a series of prison cells containing strange humanoid creatures that resembled cybernetic zombies. "Ah, one of my favourite projects," he remarked. "I tried to see how Sovereign's energy would react to living tissue. This was the result."

"I remember these monsters," Kiara said, eyes widening in horror. "From my timeline."

"Rightly so. The Reapers have a strange power in their ships that allows them to harvest the material of organic creatures. What's left is...these mindless husks."

"This is the peace you want? Us all to be these monsters?!""

"Not everyone will be harvested," Saren said. "I intend to survive, and I have enough genetic material of most galactic species to repopulate the galaxy after the Reapers have left. And once they're gone, I shall rebuild the galaxy in my image, and begin a golden age of true peace."

"That's your plan?" Kiara asked in shock. "Some fucked-up Noah's Ark?!"

"No, because I will show the Reapers that they are wrong; that organic life shouldn't be harvested, merely we are one form that life takes in our vast universe. One day, we will co-exist, bringing peace for generations to come. "

"You're insane," Kiara said. "Mom is probably on her way here right now to rescue me and kick your ass."

"Oh, I know. But her attempt will be futile. I know where the final beacon is, after all."

"Where is it, Saren?" Kiara demanded. "Tell me, or I swear by all the spirits, I'll rip your lungs out!"

Saren wiggled his finger. "Ah ah, now that would be telling." He pressed a button on his robotic arm and Kiara's collar suddenly began to heat up, becoming searing hot.

Kiara grimaced in pain, biting her lip to keep from yelling out Knydaxian swear words.

Saren pressed his arm again and two Geth troopers arrived, ready to take her back to her cell. "It was a pleasure talking to you, Kiara."

Kiara looked on at Saren as she was escorted back to her cell, silently vowing to blast his head into a bloody pulp when she got the chance.

xXx

 

 **Author's note:** Oh noes! Kiara has been kidnapped! Will she be rescued... of course she bloody well will. I mean... seriously, she will be rescued. Anyway, I decided to take a unique look at Saren's base, mainly because I figured that there would be people in the galaxy who would agree with Saren, and sort of become his followers. Sadly, as we'll see next chapter, it wont go well for them

See you next time!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 

_Captain's log, supplemental. With the help of the Minerva, we're preparing to attack Saren's base on Virmire, and hopefully rescue my captured daughter._

The Archangel and the Minerva flew towards Virmire, their respective crews preparing for battle.

Elsa and her team were in the Archangel's hangar, about to enter a shuttlecraft. "Okay, listen up, strike team," Elsa said. "As soon as the attack gets underway, we slip under the cover of our ships and land on the outskirts of the base."

"How will we know where Kiara is?" Tali inquired.

"My mother and I will be able to sense her when we're close to her," Sapphira explained. "Once we figure that out, we'll make our way to her."

"Elsa," Kristoff's voice radioed in. "We're preparing to enter the atmosphere."

Elsa tapped her commbadge. "Alright, Kristoff, we're ready. Tracer, get ready to launch when I give the signal."

"Aye, Captain," Tracer called back. "I've always wanted to fly one of these things."

Anna sighed. "I hope Kiara is okay."

"She will be, Mama," Sapphira told her. "If she's not, then I'll gladly give Saren an ass kicking for her."

Fareeha sat towards the rear of the shuttle, dressed in Raptora flight armour that she had decorated with an eye-shaped insignia just below the Alliance logo.

"You alright, Fareeha?" Angela asked, sitting next to her.

"I'm fine," she replied. "Just preparing for battle."

Angela smiled. "You are so much like your mother."

Javik looked at Fareeha. "I sense the spirit of a warrior in you, human."

"I come from a long line of soldiers," she explained.

Javik nodded. "I assumed that to be the case, judging by that." He pointed to the eye insignia.

"You can trace my family tree back to Earth's second World War," Fareeha said with a hint of pride.

"A decorative history, no doubt," Javik remarked.

"What about you?" Angela asked him. "Did you have any family?"

"We Protheans did not have much of a concept of family," Javik told her. "I was actually cloned. Most Prothean females were killed near the end of our war with the Reapers, so our scientists had to find…other means of creating troops."

"I see," Angela said.

"Alright, everyone get ready to move out!" Elsa called to them.

The Archangel and Minerva started to enter Virmire's atmosphere, sirens alerting all hands to battlestations.

Kristoff, Kira and Athrun walked towards the hangar in their pilot suits. "You okay leading the strike force, sir?" Kira asked Kristoff. "I mean, it's been a while since you saw some action."

"I'm a little rusty, maybe," Kristoff replied confidently, "but this old dog still knows plenty of tricks."

"It will be good to fight alongside Captain Ansaris again," Athrun stated.

At that moment, two Zetan Pilots met them in the hallway. One was a young man a bit younger than Kira and Athrun, and the other was a girl of the same age with purple-pink hair. "Hey, Commander Showoff," the young man said in greeting. "How's the Archangel treating you?"

Athrun smiled. "Shinn, Lunamaria. Good to see you two."

"You look good, sir," Lunamaria said.

"Who are these two?" Kira asked.

"Two pilots who served under me when I was on the Minerva," Athrun stated.

"Shinn Asuka, at your service," Shinn said with a smirk.

"You ready to blast some Geth, Mr. Asuka?" Kristoff asked him as they all walked towards the elevator.

"Maybe, but to be honest, this will be my first time fighting Geth units."

"Don't worry," Lunamaria told her boyfriend. "Just treat them like those Zurg bots we faced on Fastoon. Hit 'em hard and fast."

"Hey guys!" a voice called to them from behind. Everyone turned around to see Cagali walking towards them, wearing a pink flight suit. "Permission to join combat, Admiral," she requested.

Kristoff smiled at her. "Permission granted."

"Thank you sir," Cagali acknowledged, nodding happily.

"Wait, wait, hold on," Lunamaria put in. "Since when is the ORB princess on this crew?"

"Since I realised that  _somebody_  had to keep these two out of trouble," Cagali told her, cocking her thumb at Athrun and Kira.

"Attention all pilots!" Angel's voice sounded over the comm. "We're nearing the enemy base; prepare for takeoff."

Melody sat down in the captain's chair on the bridge, and Angel appeared beside her. "Are you okay?" the AI asked her.

Melody nodded. "I've done a lot of simulations like this. I'm ready." She hit the comm button and said, "Pilots, this is acting captain Melody Ansaris speaking. Good luck to all of you, and try to come back safely."

The Mobile Suit pilots got into their suits, each one preparing for takeoff.

"Admiral Kristoff Bjorgman, Akatsuki, preparing for launch," Kristoff reported.

"Lieutenant Commander Kira Yamato, Strike Freedom, ready to go here."

"Commander Athrun Zala, Infinite Justice, ready for combat."

"Shinn Asuka, Destiny, all systems go."

"Lunamaria Hawke, Impulse, preparing to take off."

Cagali's Skygrasper fighter then moved up into position. "Cagali Yula Attha, Skygrasper, standing by," she said confidently.

In Elsa's shuttle, Elsa and her team were ready. Elsa pressed her earpiece. "This is Elsa Frost. Strike team ready to go."

"Alright, people," Kristoff said. "Let's go kick that Turian's ass!"

The Archangel's hangar doors opened, and Kristoff and the Mobile Suit teams flew out, a squadron of fighters from both ships joining them in formation. The enemy base was just up ahead, with several Geth ships moving into attack position.

"Looks like we got company," Kira remarked.

"Okay, let's hit them with everything we've got," Kristoff stated. "All units, attack!" Kristoff held out his suit's beam rifle and took the first shot of battle, damaging a geth fighter. The rest of the attack force joined in the battle, opening fire on the Geth fleet.

As the battle waged on, Elsa's shuttle quietly launched and passed underneath the battle. "Looks like we're in the clear, Captain," Tracer reported.

"Good," Elsa replied. "Can you see a good landing point near the base?"

"Not yet, but I'm looking. I'll bring us down as soon as I can."

Both Sapphira and Anna closed their eyes, trying to pick up Kiara's energy. "She's definitely in there, Mom," Sapphira stated.

"Good," Elsa said. "Then we know she's still alive."

Tracer eventually put the shuttle down on the far side of the base, Elsa and the crew disembarking. "Need me for anything else, Captain?" Tracer asked.

"No, just get back to the Archangel," Elsa told her. "We can handle things here."

"Just bring Kiara back okay," Tracer responded, saluting.

"We will," Elsa promised.

As Tracer took off, Tali made a quick scan of the base. "Alright, there appears to be two entrances to the base from here. One is a cargo area, and the other seems to be some kind of sewer tunnel."

"I would recommend we split up," Javik said. "If we do, we will have a greater chance of finding our comrade."

"Good idea," Elsa agreed. "Anna, you take Javik, Mercy, and Pharah and go through the sewers. Sapphira, Tali, you're with me."

"On it,  _nira_ ," Anna replied obediently.

Javik closed his own eyes, feeling a familiar energy. "I am sensing something…something Prothean in nature."

"What is it?" Elsa asked him.

"I am not sure, but I believe I will know more once I am closer to…whatever it is that I am sensing."

"Alright, everyone," Anna called her team to attention. "Let's move out."

As Anna's team left, Sapphira put her hand on her mother's shoulder. "You okay, Mom?"

Elsa sighed. "I'm tense, Sapphira. Kiara could be hurt in there, or worse. We don't know what Saren's done to her, or what else he's doing in there."

"Let's hope we can put a stop to it, then," Sapphira replied.

xXx

 

Back at the battle, Kristoff and Kira were focusing their fire on a Geth cruiser which was making a beeline for the Archangel. "Their armour is stronger now," Kira noticed. "Saren must be improving his forces constantly."

"It's probably that new ship he found," Kristoff said.

"Speaking of which, it hasn't moved all battle," Kira stated.

"Kira, are you saying…?"

"Why not? We take out Saren's ship, we take him out for good."

"That ship is too powerful, Kira, even for your suit," Kristoff told him. "Just stick to the plan and keep the Geth occupied."

Kira sighed. "Yes, sir."

Athrun flew up next to them, destroying a fighter. "We seem to be doing a good job. Luna and Shinn are taking out the fighters on the other side of the fleet."

"Good work, Athrun," Kristoff told him. "But why do I feel like this is too easy?"

"What do you mean, sir?" Kira asked him.

"I'm not sure, but these Geth seem so easy to defeat. It's almost like they're going easy on us."

"Let's not worry about that, sir," Athrun said. "After all, we need to give Captain Frost some time to rescue her daughter."

"Ath has a point, sir," Kira added.

"Alright, let's focus on the Geth for now," Kristoff agreed.

xXx

 

Down in the sewers of Saren's base, Anna and her team were searching for a way into the base itself. "Anyone see an access tunnel or a manhole?" the Knydaxian asked.

"Not back here," Fareeha replied.

"This smell is disgusting," Angela remarked. "And I've had to clean your uniform after a workout, Fareeha."

The Egyptian woman frowned. "Very funny."

"Look, we'll be out of this mess soon enough," Anna told them. "I hope."

Fareeha started forward, her rifle at the ready. She could almost sense that there was something coming.

"What's up?" Anna asked her.

"I don't know," she replied, "but I feel like we aren't alone down here."

Suddenly, a loud roar was heard from up ahead as a husk creature charged at them.

"Ahhh!" Anna screamed.

Fareeeha opened fire on the creature, shooting it dead.

"What the  _scheisse_  was that?!" Angela exclaimed.

"That, Doctor," Javik explained, "is what remains after a Reaper harvests organic material."

"They look like the monsters we fought at that lab on Noveria," Anna noted.

"Whatever they are," Fareeha muttered, "I doubt there was only one of them down here."

Angela then noticed a hatch above them. "I think I see our way out."

Anna jumped up and pulled it open. "There we go."

Fareeha picked up Angela in her arms and used her armour's jets to fly them through the hatch, with Anna and Javik using their powers to levitate up to join them.

Anna closed her eyes for a moment. "Kiara's energy is stronger. We're close to her."

Javik closed his eyes as well. "That Prothean energy I felt is very close as well. It's coming from somewhere to the left of us."

"Kiara's energy is coming from that direction as well," Anna said. The team headed left towards a nearby room, walking inside. Anna's eyes widened. "Oh my spirits." Standing in the center of the room, amid a number of computer consoles, was the Prothean beacon.

Javik walked over to it. "Another beacon?"

"Saren must have found the third one," Anna realised.

"Has he used it?" Angela asked.

Javik's body glowed green and he levitated into the air, accessing the beacon. "No, this beacon did not contain a portion of the Catalyst Matrix. It's merely a gateway to the fibrenet; for lack of a better term, it is a communications terminal."

"So why does Saren have it here?" Fareeha inquired.

Javik looked deeper into the beacon's code. "He was using it to find the last segment of the Matrix, and from the looks of it, it is on a planet far from here."

"Where?" Anna asked, urgency in her voice. "We have to get there before he does!"

"I'm afraid I do not know this planet's name," Javik replied. "Only its coordinates."

Angela checked a nearby console. "I think I've found where Kiara is. The cell block is three floors down."

"Then why is her energy so strong?" Anna asked, looking at the map.

Angela checked the console again. "There's a dampening field around her cell, draining her powers so she can't use them to escape."

"That doesn't answer my question. If Kiara is three floors below us, AND her powers are being drained, then why do my senses tell me that she's close to us?"

"I think I have your answer," Fareeha said from across the room. She was holding up a small device containing a shard of iridium. "It looks to be some kind of jamming device. Saren must have tuned it so that it would trick your senses."

" _Tej'uja veran_ ," Anna said. "He's been studying my race well."

"Let's go get Kiara and get out of here," Angela stated.

"Agreed."

The team headed down to the cell block, finding Kiara in her cell. Kiara looked up at her mother, smiling widely. "Mama!"

"Hold on, Kiara," Anna said. "We'll get you out."

"Please do. That Saren guy is nuts. He wants to turn the whole galaxy into his own private kingdom."

Anna pressed a few buttons, and the energy shield protecting Kiara's cell dropped, allowing the time traveller to walk free.

Angela scanned her. "Your iridium levels are very weak, Kiara."

"Yeah, I know," she said. "My tattoos have been turning purple. You told me what that meant, Mama."

"You need energy, Kiara," Anna stated, holding out her hand. "Take my hand; I can give you some of mine."

Kiara nodded, taking Anna's hand as a blue glow surrounded them. Kiara felt the iridium energy flow from her mother and into her, restoring her strength. Kiara took a deep breath. "Okay, I feel better now."

Angela pressed her commbadge. "Ziegler to Frost. Do you read me, Elsa?"

xXx

 

Up on the roof of the base, Elsa, Sapphira, and Tali were picking off squads of Geth, trying to make their way to where they thought the other half of their team would be.

"I'm here, Doctor," Elsa replied. "Did you find Kiara?"

"Yes, we've got her. Where are you?"

"Under heavy gunfire," Elsa answered, taking a shot at a Geth trooper.

"Where? Do you need backup?"

At that moment, Saren descended towards Elsa on his mobile platform, his arms folded. "Well, well. What a delightful surprise."

Elsa scowled. "I'll call you back, Doctor," she said before ending the communication.

Saren smirked. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting?"

"You are." Elsa took a blast at him.

Saren dodged the attack "You'll have to do better than that."

Sapphira entered her true form, grabbing Saren and throwing him off of his platform. "How's that, Metalhead?"

Saren grunted. "Knydaxian brat!" His hand turned into a launcher type weapon, firing a net onto Sapphira.

As the net surrounded her, Sapphira felt herself weakening. She soon fell to the floor, reverting to her normal form. "What is this thing?!"

"I was going to use that on my prisoner," Saren told her. "But it seems it works just fine on you."

Tali scowled beneath her mask. "You  _bosh-tet!_ " She took out a blaster pistol and fired at him.

The blasts didn't even dent Saren. "Ah, the Quarian who ratted me out to the Council. I've been wondering when you would cross my path again." His arm then transformed into a weapon of some kind, and it started to pull Tali towards him. Tali struggled in vain to escape the invisible grip of Saren's weapon, but soon found herself in the Turian's clutches.

"You know, your people fascinate me," Saren mused, looking over her body. "These enviro-suits are very well made, I must say." He smiled malevolently. "Let's see what you look like underneath it, shall we?" He began to pummel the Quarian mercilessly, making sure that he damaged her suit as much as possible. Then, as the final blow, he ripped the mask from her face and crushed it before throwing both it and her to the floor.

"Tali!" Elsa cried. She charged at Saren, punching the Turian straight in the face. Saren merely backhanded her, pushing her to the floor next to Sapphira.

"Mom!" Sapphira called out, trying to free herself from the net.

Elsa wiped the blood from her lip. "I'm okay…."

"No, he's going to kill you!" Sapphira shouted.

Saren laughed. "You've lost, Captain. But if it's any consolation...your family will join you in the afterlife."

Sapphira then looked at Elsa. "Mom, I have a crazy idea. But if it works, you might be able to hold him off for a little bit."

"What is it?" Elsa asked.

"I think I can lend you some of my power," Sapphira explained. "Not all of it; just enough for you to be able to fight him. I know it's crazy, but I think it could work. Mama told me that Knydaxians can share energy with each other, but since I'm half Arendellian, I think I can share a little bit with you."

"You can actually do that?" Elsa wondered.

Sapphira looked her mother dead in the eye. "I have no idea."

"Do it," Elsa said. "While I fight Saren, you get Tali to safety and contact Angela."

"Okay. And Mom?" She leaned forward and kissed Elsa's cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too, Sapphira," Elsa replied. "More than anything."

Sapphira closed her eyes, holding Elsa's hand. "Okay, here goes nothing."

A wave of energy travelled from Sapphira to Elsa, filling the Arendellian with raw Knydaxian power. Her body and eyes glowed with a blue aura, and she smiled. "This…this feels incredible!"

"What the hell is this?!" Saren demanded.

Elsa cracked her knuckles. "Let's see how much power I have." She charged at Saren and punched him again, but this time, the blow actually staggered the cyborg Turian.

"Gah!" Saren grunted. "I felt that!"

"Good. Now let's see if you feel this!" Elsa punched him into a wall.

As Elsa started to beat on Saren, Sapphira crawled out of her net and over to Tali. "Tal? You okay?"

Tali coughed, clutching her chest and throat. "Can't…breathe…."

Sapphira scanned her friend. "Your suit's ruptured in…at least five places." She tapped her commbadge. "Angela, we need help up here. Tali's been hurt really bad; Saren wrecked her suit."

"Is her helmet intact?" Angela asked.

"No; Saren crushed it. She could die!"

"No, she won't," Angela said. "Not if you do as I say. I want you to create a field over her to block out any foreign bacteria."

Sapphira held out her hands, creating a barrier of energy around Tali's body. "What next?"

"Now carefully open Tali's suit and apply medi-gel to her wounds," Angela instructed.

She gently rubbed the medi-gel onto Tali's wounds, surrounding her hands with energy so that she wouldn't accidentally infect them. "Okay, I've cleaned the wounds."

"Good," Angela replied. "I want you to check Tali's helmet. There's a breathing apparatus inside it; tell me if it's still intact."

Sapphira picked up the broken remnants of Tali's helmet, carefully removing the breathing apparatus. "It's still in one piece," she reported. "Barely, though."

"It'll do. Now put it on Tali's face; make sure her mouth and nose are covered."

Sapphira did as she was told. "Done."

"Is she breathing?" Angela inquired.

Sapphira looked down at Tali, but the Quarian wasn't moving. "N-no," she said softly. "She isn't." She held Tali's hand, sighing sadly as tears filled her eyes. "Doctor...I think Tali's—"

Before she could finish, the Quarian's eyes shot open. Tali gasped loudly, her chest heaving as she sucked fresh air into her straining lungs.

"Tali!" Sapphira exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Tali replied, her modulated voice sounding weak.

Sapphira looked at Tali, seeing her partially out of her suit for the first time. Tali resembled a traditional humanoid, with purple skin, pure white eyes, pointed ears, and dark blue hair. "Wow, you're…kinda cute out of that suit," Sapphira commented.

Tali coughed a bit. "Sapphira," she said. "My suit...is it damaged?"

"Big-time," Sapphira replied. "I had to open it up so I could clean your wounds."

"What?!" Tali exclaimed. "Oh, Keelah."

Meanwhile, Elsa was beating Saren with her fists. With every punch she landed, Elsa could feel her energy draining, and a deep exhaustion and pain taking its place.  _I can't give up_ , she thought.  _Not until I beat him._

Suddenly, Saren used his gravity weapon again, pulling Elsa close to him and grabbing her by the neck. "Feeling tired, Elsa?"

"Of beating the shit out of you?" she retorted. "I'm barely even sweating."

"Really? How about now?" Saren's arm then started to absorb Elsa's power.

Elsa groaned as the pain hit her entire body.

"I bet that power puts quite a strain on your body," Saren remarked. "And since you're quite exhausted, I'll take a weight off your shoulders. Your portions of the Prothean Matrix!" Saren's body glowed green as his and Elsa's minds were linked.

"N-no..." Elsa groaned.

Just then, a golden form burst through the roof; it was Kiara, in her  _ikaru shantoria_  form. "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY MOM!" She then blasted Saren off of Elsa with her energy, sending him careening into a nearby wall.

Anna rushed to Elsa's side. " _Nira_ , are you okay?"

Elsa didn't respond. The pain and exhaustion had taken their toll; she had passed out.

Angela saw to Tali, scanning her. "Bacterial infection at 30%," she stated. "You're lucky you aren't dead right now, Miss vas Archangel."

"Please get me back to the ship," Tali said, coughing again.

"No one will be going anywhere," Saren told them. He then closed his eyes. "Master, I request you to use your power to harvest my followers. Turn them into an army to crush these invaders."

Suddenly, a loud droning noise was heard from Saren's warship, sending a wave of energy across the entire base.

"What the fuck was that?!" Sapphira demanded.

Suddenly, a horde of Husks started to crawl through the hole that Kiara had made, moving towards them slowly.

"Brilliant," Angela said. "What do we do?"

"Uh, kill those things, I guess?" Kiara said.

As the team started to fight the creatures, Saren chuckled. "I'll see you all some other time." With that, he teleported onto his ship.

As the group fought the creatures, Sapphira managed to rip a Krogan based creature in half. "Fuck, this is just like the nightmare I had after Melody and I watched that holo-movie when we were kids."

"I did tell you that movie would give you nightmares," Anna remarked.

"And I feel like such a dumbass for not listening," Sapphira groaned.

"Less talking! More shooting!" Kiara interjected.

Fareeha launched herself into the air, missile ports opening on her armour. "Justice rains from above!" she cried as she opened fire on a group of the Husks.

At that moment, Kira and Athrun arrived in their Mobile Suits. "Did someone call for backup?" Kira asked.

"Kira!" Sapphira cheered. "Are we glad to see you!"

Saren's warship then detached from the base, taking off into the air and the rest of the Geth fleet following it.

"He's getting away!" Kiara shouted.

"Never mind that, sis," Sapphira told her. "Mom and Tali need to get to the Archangel."

"She's right," Anna put in.

Kiara sighed. "Fine."

Angela tapped a few buttons on her omni-tool. "Strike team to Archangel. Two injured to beam directly to sick bay. Prepare a clean room for Tali'Zorah vas Archangel."

"I'm on it, Doctor," Angel's voice responded.

xXx

 

Six hours later, the Archangel and Minerva were in orbit of Virmire, recuperating after the battle. Sapphira, Kiara, Kristoff, Kira, and Eric were in the conference room, waiting for any update on Elsa and Tali's conditions.

"That bastard," Kristoff muttered frustratedly. "He got away again."

"We'll get him soon, Kristoff," Eric told him.

"I hope my mom is okay," Sapphira said. "I shouldn't have given her my power to fight Saren."

Angela entered the conference room. "There is some good news," she said. "Tali and Captain Frost are going to pull through."

"Is there bad news as well?" Kristoff asked.

"Well, Captain Frost suffered quite a few broken bones, but she should recover."

"What about the Knydaxian power Sapphira lent her?" Eric asked her.

"I'm not certain of the effects; nothing like this has ever happened before."

"And Tali?" Sapphira asked. "Is she okay?"

"She'll be fine, but she can't step out of the force field I've put her in; at least, not until we can get her a new enviro-suit."

"May we go down there?" Kiara then asked. "We'd like to see our mother."

Angela nodded. "Please follow me." She led them down to the Archangel's sickbay, where Elsa and Tali were lying on beds. Anna was already there, standing next to Elsa. Elsa had been bandaged up, while Tali was in a blue force field, hooked up to various pieces of medical equipment.

Anna smiled. "Hello, my  _kokuris_."

Tali looked over at them, smiling weakly. "Hey Saph, Kiara."

"Hey Mama, Tali," Sapphira greeted them. "Is Mom okay to talk to?"

"She's okay," Elsa said, sitting up weakly.

Kiara and Sapphira ran to Elsa's sides, hugging her. Elsa smiled. "Hey, not so hard. My bones need time to heal."

"We're just glad you're okay, Mom," Kiara said, tears of joy in her eyes.

Elsa then looked at her two daughters. "Listen, you two. Something bad is going to happen soon."

"What do you mean?"

"When I was fighting Saren, our parts of the cipher were linked together," Elsa explained.

"Elsa, maybe this should wait till later," Anna suggested. "You need rest."

"No, I need to tell them this," Elsa replied.

"Tell us what?" Sapphira asked.

Elsa sighed. "When our minds were liked, it's like we could both see our past and future at the same time. And from what I saw in my future… something bad is going to happen, but I couldn't make out what. I think Ariel's vision is going to come true."

"No, Mom, it's not," Kiara promised. "I came back to change things."

"Kiara, please," Elsa said. "I won't be here forever. And if I die, I want you and Sapphira to take care of Anna."

"Mom, don't say things like that!" Kiara shouted.

"Kiara, listen to me!" Elsa snapped. "You can still change the future. But if Ariel's vision comes true, then you might have to kill me to do that. And if you do, you have to look after your mother."

Kiara sighed. "I understand."

"Me too, Mom," Sapphira added.

"There is one thing you need to tell everyone," Elsa then said. "I know where the third beacon is."

"Where is it?"

Elsa looked at them, a grave expression on her face, and uttered one single word: "Arendelle."

xXx

 

 **Author's note:** DUN DUN DUNNNNN! Arendelle is under threat! Hopefully, Elsa and friends can stop Saren soon. I'm quite proud of the chapter coming next, but I won't say what it is here, but what I will say is that if you loved LK 1, you'll love the bit I'm planning for chapter 11

See you all next time! ^^


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 

"Arendelle?" Cagali exclaimed. "That final beacon is on  _Arendelle?!_ "

"Yes, Cagali," Kiara replied. She and Sapphira had gone straight to the crew after learning of what Elsa had found during her link with Saren.

"Of all the places…." Cagali sighed.

"What's wrong, sis?" Kira asked.

Cagali started to cry. "Lacus told me she and the others were on Arendelle right now, while Eden Prime was being rebuilt. Now she's going to be put in danger again."

"It's okay, Cagali," Melody told her. "She'll be okay; we'll make sure of that. If it were Sapphira in danger, I'd feel the same way."

Kristoff looked at the crew, seeing that they were all still weary after the last mission. "Okay people," he said. "We've been in a rough spot lately, chasing after Saren day and night. It's not good for us, I know, but the galaxy is at stake, and we're the flagship of the Alliance. It's our duty to protect the innocent."

"Well said, Kristoff," Ariel said. "I know that you're all feeling pretty beaten up, some more than others. But we  _will_  stop Saren."

"Thanks, Mom," Melody said.

"What's the plan, Admiral?" Kira asked.

"I'll message Eric and tell him that we're setting a course for Arendelle," Kristoff replied. "I just hope we won't be too late."

"Did Elsa say where the beacon would be on Arendelle?" Kira then asked Sapphira.

Sapphira shook her head. "All she said was that it was on Arendelle. She didn't know where."

"I know someone who might know," Angela then said. "Javik found the exact coordinates of the beacon when we were in Saren's base. There was a beacon there, although that one didn't have a portion of the Prothean program."

"Alright, then. I'll call him in here." Kristoff tapped his commbadge. "Admiral Bjorgman to Javik."

There was no reply.

"Javik, this is Admiral Bjorgman, are you hearing me?" Still no response. "Angel, where's Javik?"

"He's in the guest quarters we provided for him," Angel replied. "He seems to be using his biotics to block out all forms of communication."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure."

Kristoff sighed. "Everyone stay here; I'm gonna go sort this out with him."

"Do you need me to come?" Ariel asked. "You may need an empath for this."

"Don't worry," Kristoff assured her. "I've dealt with more stubborn bastards than our Prothean friend.". He headed out of the conference room and down to the deck where Javik's quarters were, pressing the call button on the door. "Javik? Are you there?"

There was still no response.

"Let me get that for you," Angel offered. "I just need your security code."

Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Bjorgman-Omega-2019."

The door to Javik's room opened, and Kristoff saw the Prothean meditating in the middle of the room, a green aura surrounding him.

"Javik?" Kristoff asked.

"I sense you have need of me, Admiral," Javik responded.

"You could say that. Angela told me you accessed the beacon at Saren's base, and found the exact coordinates for the next beacon."

"I did," the Prothean confirmed. "But I am not going to share them with you."

Kristoff's eyes widened. "What?! Why?"

"Because doing so changes nothing. The outcome of this war has already been decided. Or, if I may use an Earth phrase I acquired: the game was rigged from the beginning."

"You're talking bullshit, mister," Kristoff replied.

"Perhaps, but consider this, Admiral: Your ship and most of your fighters and mecha are damaged, your crew is weary, and your commanding officer is severely injured. Forgive me, but where, exactly, is Saren's disadvantage?"

Kristoff folded his arms and started to walk around him. "So you're saying we should just give up? Why? That's not exactly an honourable thing to do."

"Honour is irrelevant," Javik told him. "If we pursue Saren now, there may be heavy casualties. You may lose more than just nameless crewmen; you may lose friends, family. Are you ready to accept that?"

"You have no idea, Javik," Kristoff replied. "I once knew a man named Mu La Flaga. We were partners for a long time, and five years ago, we were deployed to the ORB Union. Then the Bloody Valentine Conflict started. We fought our way through that shitstorm, and at the end of it all, Mu gave his life to save the ORB homeworld."

"I fail to see how this is relevant to our current situation, Admiral."

"If Mu hadn't made that sacrifice, the galaxy would be in the midst of a war again. And what you're saying is we shouldn't go to Arendelle because we need to survive. When you sign up for the military, you should be prepared to make the tough choices. It's not fun, and it's not smart; it's standing up and making a decision because nobody else will." Kristoff paused and took a breath, then continued, "We may be the only thing that stands between the Reapers and a galaxy full of innocent lives. Saren's come up to us and told us to move. It's our job to plant our feet, look him dead in the eye, and say, 'No.  _You_  move.'"

Javik sighed. "It would seem that you humans have a way of making sense. Very well; I will give you the coordinates."

Kristoff smirked. "Did I stir up some feelings, Javik?"

"Warriors do not have feelings," Javik replied. "But we are able to recognise when a cause is worth fighting for."

xXx

 

Kristoff returned to the bridge. "Okay, I got the coordinates from Javik. Angel, could you put them into the computers for us?"

"Sure thing," Angel responded.

The viewscreen changed to show a large, palatial structure on top of a mountain near Arendelle's capital city.

Ariel looked close at the image. "Where is that?"

"I've seen it before," Sapphira said. "Mom told me about it. It's the Temple of Skadi, an ancient structure built on the North Mountain near the capital."

"What is it?" Kira inquired.

"It's like some kind of holy place for Arendellians," Sapphira explained. "According to Mom, there's a giant statue of a goddess in there."

"I thought Arendellians worshipped the stars," Ariel put in, sounding somewhat confused.

"Well, some do," Sapphira went on. "But like a lot of planets, Arendelle has more than one religion. Some worship the stars, some worship the Norse gods of Earth, and some worship, well, God."

"That makes sense," Ariel said, nodding.

"But if the beacon's there, how come no one noticed it before?" Melody asked.

"If it is there, it must be well hidden," Kristoff said. "And I bet Saren knows exactly where it is."

Sapphira nodded. "I'm gonna go see my mom about this."

xXx

 

Down in her quarters, Cagali was curled up on her bed, wiping tears from her eyes. She was wracked with guilt over Lacus; the woman she loved was in danger again.

The door to her quarters then opened, and Athrun entered the room. "Did I come at a bad time?"

Cagali looked up and smiled. "Athrun…."

"You look beat up," he remarked, sitting on her bed.

"That's because I am," she said, letting out a deep sigh. "She's in danger again, Athrun. Lacus. She's gonna be caught in the crossfire."

"Lacus is a strong girl. She'll fight, just like I know you will."

"That's not what I meant. It used to be either you or Kira who cared about her. Me, I just saw her as a friend. But now…I love her, just as much as I do you."

Athrun put his hand around her shoulder. "I feel the same way you do; we all do. But you know who's probably feeling the worst about all this?"

"Who?"

"The captain. She lost her home once… and now she could lose it again."

"I know what it's like to lose my home, Athrun. I saw what your father's forces did in ORB."

Athrun sighed. "I know. I'm sorry; I was never any good at this."

"At least you're trying," Cagali told him, wiping away her tears. "That's what Lacus would tell me. I don't know what magic powers she has, but she always makes me smile. She makes everyone smile."

Athrun kissed her cheek. "And when you smile, I smile."

Cagali kissed his lips. "Thank you, Athrun."

"My pleasure."

As he started to leave the room, Cagali looked over at him. "Wait, Athrun, can I tell you something?"

"What is it?"

She smiled. "I hope we kick Saren's ass."

Athrun smiled back. "Me too, baby. Me too."

xXx

 

In the sickbay, Angela was checking over Elsa's wounds, seeing how much healing had been done so far. "Hmm," she muttered. "Your arms and legs have healed quite well, but your ribs may take some time."

Elsa sighed. "Spare me the lecture, Angela. How long am I going to be out of commission?"

"At this rate, possibly the next few days," Angela told her. "And I'm afraid that's the best-case scenario."

"We'll be at Arendelle in a few hours," Elsa groaned. "I can't just leave everyone down there without me."

"I'm afraid that's what you're going to have to do, Captain. You need your rest."

Elsa looked up. "Can't you do anything to speed it up? Muscle stimulants, regenerators; there's gotta be something."

Angela shook her head. "I can't risk that; I don't know how much cellular damage Sapphira's power did to your body. I'm sorry, Elsa. I've done all I can."

Elsa sighed again. "You have the worst bedside manner ever, you know that?"

Angela giggled. "I can think of worse ways. Have you heard any of my jokes from Fareeha?"

"No, no," Elsa shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Trust me, you've been a model patient," Angela said. "And I've been a doctor for most of my life, so I've had plenty of bad patients."

Elsa sighed. "I just hate being stuck like this."

"If I were in your position, I'd feel the same thing."

Sapphira then arrived in sickbay. "Mom, I have some news. Thanks to Javik, we figured out the exact place where the Prothean beacon is."

"Good," Elsa said. "I don't care what you have to do, but don't let Saren get his claws on it!"

"It's in the Temple of Skadi, on the North Mountain."

Elsa stroked her chin. "I always had some strange feeling about that place."

"I loved going up there as a child," Angela expressed.

"We'll let you know once we get to Arendelle, Mom," Sapphira then said.

"Good luck," Elsa told her.

As Sapphira left the room, Angela looked at Elsa. "If you'll excuse me, Captain. I have other things to attend to."

Elsa nodded. "It's okay, Angela. It's not like I'm going anywhere."

As Angela left Elsa in peace, Tali looked over at Elsa. "Captain...I want to express how sorry I am for you, with your home being attacked again."

"It's not your fault, Tali," Elsa replied.

"Sapphira told me about you and Saren. She said that you'd met years ago."

"Yes, we'd met years ago, before either you or her were even born," Elsa began. "In fact, it was three years before I even met Anna. Kristoff and I were still smugglers, and we were very different people than we are now."

xXx

 

_Decine, twenty-four years ago_

 

_It was a hot, dry day on the planet Decine, much like it always was. In a small compound on one of the planet's sandy plateaus, Kristoff Bjorgman was watching the news on the holonet. "Since the Zetan-Federation ceasefire six months ago," the newscaster was saying, "Federation diplomats have been pressuring Zetan officials to finally release the planet of Arendelle from their occupation; they argue that Arendelle's position in neutral space marks it as off-limits to either side. However, the Zetans have recently claimed that they have every right to Arendelle under the agreements of the treaty. This means that the humanitarian aid project the Citadel was planning to send there cannot go as planned."_

_Kristoff sighed. "Stupid diplomats."_

_At that moment, the familiar royal shuttle turned cargo ship of Elsa Frost landed outside. Elsa disembarked and headed into the compound. "Hey, Kristoff."_

_Kristoff looked over his shoulder to see Elsa arrive. "Oh, hey Elsa. How did the convoy duty go?"_

_"Pretty boring, but I scored a lot of credits for us," Elsa replied. "What's up around here?"_

_"I was just checking the news," Kristoff said. "Those idiots on the Federation Council couldn't get the Zetans to leave Arendelle."_

_"What?!" Elsa exclaimed in disbelief. "But there's a peace treaty!"_

_"I know, and it's stupid. Something about the Zetans saying the treaty gave them the right to keep Arendelle."_

_Elsa sighed. "When the war ended, I thought my homeworld would finally be free."_

_"Well, it seems the universe doesn't care, Elsa," Kristoff told her. "I'm sorry. I know you miss Arendelle."_

_Elsa held herself. "I wish I could go back right now and tell the Zetans to get the fuck off my planet!"_

_Kristoff gently hugged her. "It's okay, Elsa."_

_Elsa cried into his arms. "I just… I miss Arendelle," she whimpered. "I'm sorry."_

_"Don't worry about it," Kristoff told her. "We both knew being out here together would be hard, but we've done good these past couple of years."_

_Elsa smiled a little bit. "I guess so. I mean, it's not much, but this is a home to me."_

_Kristoff kissed her forehead. "That's the Elsa Frost I know and love. Now go and get yourself a drink on Beck Station; I doubt we'll have anything to do for a little while."_

_Elsa nodded. "I will. Thanks, Kristoff."_

_xXx_

 

_Elsa took her ship to Beck Station, spending the trip deep in thought. She docked at the station, heading to her favourite bar and sitting down. She closed her eyes, letting herself be lost in the music that was playing over the speakers._

_The bartender, a heavyset four-eyed alien with glasses, walked over to her. "What will it be today, Miss Frost?"_

_Elsa looked up. "The usual, Jumba. Earth whiskey."_

_"Coming right up," he replied. As he poured Elsa the drink, he remarked, "You seem a bit less lively than usual. Normally when you're in my place, you've got some girl with you."_

_Elsa chuckled. "I'm not in my horny state yet, Jumba, but I am feeling a bit down." She sighed. "I just found out my home got screwed over, again."_

_"Decine?" He chuckled. "There's always some nonsense happening on that mudball."_

_"No, no," Elsa corrected him. "My original home, on Arendelle."_

_"Ah, I see," Jumba acknowledged. "I did hear about it on the news. The Empire still wants to claim Arendelle as theirs. It seems that Empress Maleficent is just as stubborn as her father."_

_"I just want to go back there, Jumba," Elsa told him. "Arendelle is my home. I feel an idiot for not trying to do something."_

_Jumba stroked his chin. "Well, if you're so concerned, I heard about a group of mercenaries who were planning something. One of them is over there by the roulette table." He pointed to a feline alien woman with long blonde hair,_

_Elsa nodded. "I'll look into it, Jumba." She walked over to the woman by the table. "Excuse me?"_

_The woman looked over at her. "What do you want?"_

_"My name's Elsa. I heard you were planning something to do with Arendelle?"_

_"You heard right," the woman confirmed. "We're going to Arendelle, to kick those Zetan slaglicks off of our homeworld!"_

_Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Two questions. One: you're Arendellian?"_

_"Half," the woman explained. "My father was Arendellian; my mother came from Thundera, in the Aquila Hyperes cluster."_

_"I see," Elsa replied with a nod. "Second question: who's 'we'?"_

_"I have a few friends in cargo bay three," the woman answered._

_"I see," Elsa repeated. "Well, if you're taking back Arendelle, I'm definitely in."_

_The woman smiled. "You sure you're up to it? I mean, you might not make it back alive."_

_"I'm willing to risk anything for my home," Elsa told her._

_The woman held out her hand. "My friends call me Cheetara."_

_Elsa shook her hand. "I'd like to meet your friends, if that's okay?"_

_"Of course," Cheetara agreed. "Come with me." She led Elsa out of the bar and towards a nearby cargo bay. As they walked inside, they saw an old shuttle, of a design with which Elsa wasn't familiar._

_"I've never seen a ship like that before," she expressed._

_"It belongs to our commander," Cheetara told her. "You'll meet him soon."_

_At that moment, a man in black body armor and leather gloves walked up to them. He had buzz-cut black hair, piercing blue eyes, and a square jawline sharper than the edge of a knife. "Back so soon, Cheetara?" he asked, his voice laden with a British accent. "Who's your friend?"_

_"She's not your type, Daniel," Cheetara told him. "She wants to join our mission."_

_"Doesn't look like much of a fighter," Daniel remarked, looking Elsa over. "You sure she's up to this?"_

_"I'm tougher than I look," Elsa retorted. "I'll do anything for my homeworld's freedom. Who the hell are you, anyway?"_

_"Brosnan," he answered smoothly. "Daniel Brosnan. If it's not too much trouble, please try not to slow us down."_

_"I say she'll get blown up by the time this mission is over," a smarmy voice called to them._

_Two other mercenaries walked over to them. One was a feline alien like Cheetara, with features similar to a tiger. He wore green combat armor, with a holstered pistol attached to his right hip and a whip weapon to his left hip. The other was a hulking alien who resembled a shark or whale, albeit with horn-like growths on either side of his head and a small fin on the top. He was wearing sleeveless black-and-red combat armour, with gauntlets on his wrists and a holstered pistol attached to a belt around his waist._

_"Don't judge a book by its cover, Tygra," Cheetara said to the feline male. "For all you know, our new friend could be a skilled warrior."_

_"I've seen her before; she comes by this station every now and then," Tygra remarked. "She's just a smuggler."_

_Elsa looked at him. "And you're quite observant."_

_"It pays to be observant in my line of work." He folded his arms. "At least I get my paws dirty. All you do is shove cargo around."_

_"Watch your mouth, flea-bait," Elsa retorted. "Or else I'll find out if there really is more than one way to skin a cat."_

_"I'd do as she says," the large alien said. "Arendellians can be very unpredictable."_

_Tygra scoffed. "Whatever, Gantu. All I care about is me and my girl getting paid."_

_Cheetara rolled her eyes. "Why do I even bother with you?"_

_"Because you love me," Tygra remarked._

_Cheetara smiled a bit. "That's true."_

_Just then, the team's commander arrived. He was a purple-skinned alien with a mohawk, pointed ears, and yellow, pupil-less eyes. "Pipe down, everyone," he snapped. "This is meant to be a secret mission."_

_Elsa looked at the mohawked alien with a confused expression. "And you are?"_

_"You must be the new member," he said. "My name is Ulaz. I'm from the Galra segment of the Zangyack Empire."_

_"Elsa Frost," she replied. "Smuggler from Arendelle, with a score to settle."_

_"Pleasure. You can get acquainted with the rest of the team later."_

_She nodded, then moved a few steps closer to him. "Tell me something, Ulaz. Why do you want to do this?"_

_"Each of us wants to end the Zetan occupation for one reason or another," Ulaz explained. "Cheetara is part Arendellian herself, and Tygra wants to help her. Mr. Brosnan is a former operative of the Federation's intelligence agency, TAROT, wanting to go his own path and do the things his organisation never could do. As for Gantu and myself…we're doing it take the galaxy's attention off the Zetans and more to our part of the galaxy. A part that suffers a lot more than Arendelle ever will."_

_"I see."_

_"What's your reason for joining us? I mean, it may just be because of you being Arendellian, but I spent enough time with my own people to know when people have a greater motive for their actions."_

_"Let's just say the Zetans took a lot from me," Elsa responded, "and leave it at that."_

_"So now that our new member is initiated," Tygra put in, "should we get going? I think we're late for our rendezvous."_

_"Yes, we should," Ulaz agreed. "Elsa, you may want to send a message to anyone you are close to. There's not much guarantee you or any of us are coming back from this."_

_"I don't have anyone to be close to," Elsa said. "I'll let you guess why."_

_"As you wish. I guess I'll just tell you the plan then." Ulaz then projected an image of a Zetan warship. "This is the Razor's Edge, the Zetan command ship over Arendelle. Its commander is Saren Arterius. Our top priority is to take him and his ship down."_

_"Looks pretty well defended," Elsa noted. "How are we getting in?"_

_"Our ship is equipped with a cloaking device," Ulaz explained. "We'll sneak aboard the ship and disable it from there. With the main Zetan force destroyed, the resistance forces on the planet will be able to liberate the rest of Arendelle."_

_"What makes you so certain?"_

_"I have a few contacts in the main resistance cell; they call themselves Overwatch. At the same time we attack, that group will be attacking a key Zetan base on the planet. That attack should be enough of a distraction to give us the opening we need."_

_"And when that ship falls from the sky and into the oceans of Arendelle," Gantu said, "our work will be done."_

_Cheetara pressed a commlink on her ear. "What?" She was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Got it." She looked at Ulaz. "Commander Morrison's forces are moving into position and awaiting our arrival at the warship."_

_"Alright, it looks like we're up," Ulaz said. "Everyone onto the shuttle."_

_As the team boarded the shuttle and took off, Elsa took out her holo-phone and typed a message to Kristoff, saying she would be gone a while._

_Daniel looked over Elsa's shoulder. "Who are you messaging? I thought you told Ulaz that you didn't have anyone."_

_"I don't have anyone close to me, but this person is a friend of mine," Elsa replied. "I just don't want him to worry."_

_"It's alright, my dear," Daniel said. "I'll get you out of this and back to this friend, and maybe we could have dinner together."_

_Elsa rolled her eyes. "Sorry, pal, but I'm not exactly interested in men like you. Besides, I lean more towards women anyway."_

_Daniel frowned. "I see how it is."_

_The ship cloaked before it went to warp, racing towards Arendelle._

_Ulaz turned around in his chair and pressed a button on his console. "Morrison, it's Ulaz. We're on our way now."_

_A hologram of a man with short blonde hair and a blue armoured trenchcoat appeared next to him. "Good timing. Reyes and I just finished scouting out the base."_

_"Will it be a problem for you guys?"_

_"Not really," Morrison replied. "We've done dozens of raids like this. But Gabe is a bit off lately. I don't know why. Hopefully, it won't affect the mission."_

_"Good luck, Morrison. We'll see you on the other side." Ulaz closed the transmission, then turned around to look at the others. "Okay, everyone, this is it. Once we reach the ship, we'll split up into two teams. Cheetara, you take Tygra and Gantu down to engineering; do as much damage as you can."_

_"Consider it done," Cheetara acknowledged, twirling around an energy staff._

_"Daniel, Elsa, you and I will make our way to the bridge to deal with Saren."_

_"You sure the newbie is good for that part?" Tygra asked._

_"I can handle it, furball," Elsa told him._

_"Then it's settled. It will be a few minutes before we actually arrive at Arendelle," Ulaz said. "Good luck, everyone._

_xXx_

 

_The ship soon came out of warp, right by the large hull of the Zetan command ship. Elsa looked out the window, seeing how scarred her home was from up here. After this mission, she thought about going home to help rebuild, possibly reclaiming her royal title._

_Ulaz found a small docking port near the side of the Zetan ship, docking the shuttle to it. "Okay, we're here. Everyone, you have your assignments. Once I tell you that Saren is dead, we'll make a run for our shuttle."_

_The team split up, with Elsa, Daniel, and Ulaz heading down a hallway towards the turbolift to the bridge._

_Elsa cracked her knuckles. This is for you, Rapunzel, she thought._

_"Okay, once the turbolift opens," Ulaz instructed, "there will be a small hallway leading to the bridge. We'll take out the guards there, and head onto the bridge."_

_Daniel pulled out an energy blade from a sheath on his hip. "Don't worry, I'm quite handy when it comes to stealth."_

_"You'd better be," Elsa muttered._

_The three of them arrived on the bridge, Ulaz and Daniel quickly taking out the two guards on duty._

_They then snuck into the room, hiding on the other end of the doorway from the hallway to the bridge. They could see that Saren was seated in his command chair, in communication with Empress Maleficent._

_"You have done well in your command of Arendelle, Prefect Arterius," the empress commended._

_"Thank you, Your Excellency," Saren replied. "I live to serve you as I did your father."_

_"As you should. I regret that I was forced to agree to the Federation's terms, but…." She sighed. "It was the only way to ensure that the Empire would not fall."_

_"Indeed, my lady. Our loss at Zeon Point greatly depleted our resources. But we still have control of Arendelle, and the worlds that hold our iridium mines. I'll make sure of that."_

_"See that you do. My son, Hans, has been quite troublesome lately and hard to control. Perhaps shipping him over to your sector would do him some good."_

_Saren nodded. "He is young, foolish, and, if I may be blunt, rather frustrating to deal with. But then, at that age, it's only to be expected. He's still an excellent soldier, and a capable commander."_

_"True," the empress mused. "His conquest of Thespis Prime was to be commended, but he lacks the clarity of mind required to be a great leader."_

_"A clarity I do not lack as well, Empress," Saren reminded her._

_Maleficent smiled. "Continue your work on Arendelle as well as you do, and you may find_

_yourself promoted to my consort."_

_Saren chuckled. "Nothing would make me happier."_

_Maleficent placed her fist over her heart. "Glory to the Empire, Saren."_

_Saren placed his own fist over his chest. "May victory always be ours."_

_"Now!" Ulaz hissed, and the three freedom fighters rushed out of the shadows, weapons drawn and pointed at Saren._

_Saren quickly turned around, knocking all three of them back with his arm. "You dare strike me?!"_

_Elsa got up. "This is for Arendelle, fucker!" she snarled. She pulled out a blaster and shot Saren square in the face._

_The blast hit Saren's jaw, burning his tongue. "Gahhh!"_

_As Saren reeled from the pain, Daniel tried to charge at him, but Saren knocked him back._

_"Daniel!" Ulaz cried._

_Ulaz then charged at Saren, but the Turian grabbed him by the neck. "I thought your kind stayed to your own part of the galaxy, Galra!" Saren growled._

_"Not when a monster like you is controlling these people!" Ulaz shot back._

_Elsa picked up Daniel's dropped energy blade and ran towards Saren with it, slashing at Saren's arm. Saren screamed as the blade severed his arm, freeing Ulaz from his grip._

_"And that," Elsa spat, "was for Rapunzel Corona."_

_Saren then pressed a button on his belt. "I...I won't...be defeated so easily."_

_A series of powerful electrical beams fired from the walls, shocking everyone in the room except for Saren himself._

_xXx_

 

_Some hours later, Elsa and the others awoke in a cell, chained to the wall with energy restraints. Cheetara and Tygra were there as well, but Gantu was noticeably absent._

_"Ughh..." Tygra groaned. "I think I lost one of my nine lives."_

_"I didn't expect that shock weapon," Ulaz said._

_"None of us did," Elsa told him._

_The door then opened, and Saren walked in. His face had been partially repaired, and there was a stump where his arm should've been. "Well, look who's finally woken up."_

_"And look who's uglier than ever," Tygra retorted._

_Saren walked past them. "I've got to hand it to you three, I never expected anyone to have been able to sneak up on me like that. You came close, but sadly, you failed."_

_"Where is Gantu?" Ulaz demanded._

_"He fought admirably, but he was no match for superior numbers. Your friends on the surface failed too. Apparently, one of them got caught in a plasma reactor."_

_Ulaz growled. "You bastard. I thought Zarkon was a monster, but you're worse!"_

_Saren chuckled. "You should be glad I'm letting you live."_

_"What are you going to do to us?" Elsa asked._

_"You'll soon see," Saren told her. "Suffice to say, you'll soon find yourselves of great use to the Empire."_

_"Well, I'd rather die than be a pawn in any of your games!" Daniel growled._

_Saren smiled. "As you wish." He then took Daniel's blade and stabbed it into his stomach._

_"Gahh!" Daniel cried out._

_Saren pulled the blade out of his stomach. "Now you know the pain I felt when this very blade sliced off my arm."_

_Daniel looked up at him, blood dripping from his mouth. "Fuck…you…." And with that, he was dead._

_Elsa looked on in shock._

_Saren then turned his gaze on Ulaz. "Now, tell me…Ulaz, was it? What's a Galra like you doing on my ship? The last time I checked, we had no animosity to your people."_

_"I told you," Ulaz replied venomously. "We came to kill you and free the people of this planet!"_

_Saren slapped him. "You didn't answer my question. Are you working for Zarkon? If so, I would count this little endeavour as an act of war."_

_"No! I'm a member of a Galra resistance unit that opposes tyrants like you and Zarkon," Ulaz answered._

_"Then there would be a heavy price to pay if you were brought to him."_

_"You could say that," Ulaz said. "Why are you asking?"_

_"Because I'm going to send you back to him." He then stabbed Ulaz through the stomach. "In a box."_

_"Guggh!" Ulaz groaned._

_Saren pulled out the blade and then looked at Elsa. "I know I've murdered your comrades, my dear, but trust me, I will be letting you and your feline friends live."_

_Elsa scowled. "Do your worst, raptor face."_

_Saren set the blade aside. "Oh, trust me: I will." He then slashed Elsa's chest with his claws, tearing at her skin._

_"Gaaaaahhhh!" Elsa cried out in pain as blood started flowing from the wound._

_"Elsa!" Cheetara cried._

_Saren cackled. "Oh, my dear princess, I will have fun with you."_

_xXx_

 

_For the next two weeks, Elsa was Saren's torture slave, enduring immense amounts of pain from the slashes, shocks, bruises, burns, and fractures that the Turian despot inflicted on her. After so long, she had almost given up hope of escape. But then, an opportunity presented itself._

_Elsa hung limply in the restraints, her body racked with pain from Saren repeatedly torturing her. As she looked up, though, her eyes widened in surprise. Laying on a table next to the door was a metal shock staff, commonly used by prison guards for controlling inmates. Saren must have forgotten it, she thought._

_Her arms were still tied by the restraints, so she tried to reach the table with her legs. She soon succeeded, kicking the table over and knocking the staff onto the floor. Excellent. Now to set myself free._

_She kicked the staff upwards into the air, grabbing it with her hand and using it to short out the restraints. As the restraints opened, she collapsed onto her hands and knees, panting. Every single part of her body hurt like hell. But she had to get up and get out of there, or she might never get another chance to. She used the staff to pry open the cell door, taking a few glances to see if anyone was around. Alright, she thought. I just need to get Cheetara and Tygra, then to the escape pods or the hangar, and we're home free._

_Elsa snuck towards a nearby cell, wincing slightly with each step due to the pain in her legs. She just hoped that no one had noticed her escape attempt. She pressed the staff into the keypad outside the cell, overriding the lock. The door opened to reveal a weary Cheetara and Tygra._

_"Elsa…?" Cheetara said weakly. "You got out?"_

_"Yeah," Elsa replied, going over to Cheetara. "Took a bit of work. How's Tygra?"_

_"He's out cold. Saren was drugging him or something."_

_"He'll need a doctor," Elsa said. "Come on; we're getting out of here."_

_Elsa and Cheetara headed to the turbolift, Cheetara carrying Tygra on her back._

_As they entered the turbolift, Elsa collapsed against the wall in pain, breathing heavily._

_"Computer," she wheezed. "Where are the escape pods and the main hangar bay?"_

_"The escape pods are located on Level 4," the computer responded. "The main hangar bay is on Level 7."_

_"Elsa, you need to rest," Cheetara said. "Saren probably did a lot more work on you."_

_"I know, but we need to get out of here first." Elsa sighed. "Computer, take us to level 4."_

_"Acknowledged."_

_The turbolift took them down to level 4, opening up to reveal a hallway lined with escape pods. "Looks like we're home free," Cheetara said._

_"Warning, prisoner escape!" a computerised voice said over a loudspeaker._

_"Crap baskets," Elsa muttered._

_"Come on!" Cheetara exclaimed. The two of them ran out of the turbolift, and Cheetara opened up one of the pods and climbed in, laying Tygra on the seat beside her. "Get in another pod, Elsa," she said._

_"What? Why? I thought we were in this together!"_

_"We are," the Thunderan replied. "If they caught us in one pod, we'd all die. But this way, at least one of us might get out okay."_

_Elsa nodded. "I understand. Good luck, Cheetara."_

_"Likewise," Cheetara bid Elsa farewell._

_Elsa got into the neighbouring pod, sitting down in the pilot's seat and closing the hatch. "Computer, initiate escape pod launch sequence."_

_The pods soon jettisoned from the warship, Elsa hearing the warning sirens blaring behind her. She pressed a button on the pod's main console, firing up the engines. She saw Cheetara's pod speed away in a different direction, and she smiled._

_Until we meet again, Cheetara._

_She looked out of the rear window and sighed, knowing that she had failed Arendelle again. But she promised that one day, she would come back, and she'd make sure the Zetans left for good._

xXx

 

"That must have been unbearable for you," Tali remarked. "I'm sorry about the team you went with, Elsa."

"They died a noble death, especially Ulaz," Elsa replied. "After I escaped, a Federation ship picked me up. I lied about my identity so they wouldn't arrest me for being a smuggler, but I got patched up."

"What about Cheetara and that other guy?"

"I don't know what happened to them, but I'm pretty sure they got somewhere safe."

"Sapphira said you didn't tell anyone else about this until Saren showed up on the Citadel," Tali then said. "Was there a reason for that?"

"Because I never expected him to come back," Elsa lied.

"I don't think that's the reason. You knew he had survived the war and was in prison."

Elsa sighed. "You're right. The real reason was…that was one of the darkest times in my life. For the second time in my life, not only had I failed my homeworld, but people had died because of me. I didn't want to remember that. I didn't want my family to see me as a failure."

"You're not a failure, Elsa," Tali told her. "You're the captain of a starship, you have a loving wife and two daughters, and you've helped save the galaxy dozens of times. Nothing about that tells me you are a failure."

"I know, Tali. Anna said the same thing once I finally told her. But at this point, it's not just about saving the galaxy for me. It's about getting revenge for what he did to my world, and to me."

"I still have a bone to pick with him too," Tali reminded her. "So when we finally get him, you can beat him up, but I want to be the one to put a bullet through his head."

Elsa smiled. "That can be arranged, Tali."

"Now you rest up, Elsa," Tali said. "Angela was right about that."

"I will," Elsa nodded. "Thanks for listening, Tali."

"Any time," the Quarian replied. "I know I'm not Ariel, but I'm here if you need me."

Elsa lay her head back on the pillow and sighed. Once this whole mission was over, she could get back to what really mattered: her family.

xXx

 

 **Author's note:** Sorry for the really long chapter this time, even longer than usual. And yeah, Ulaz is from Voltron and Cheetara and Tygra are from Thundercats, with Mr Brosnan being pretty much james bond in all but name. The whole flashback itself was actually a lot of fun to write, being set during the time of the first last knydaxian fic. With that, nothing much to say except... be prepared for angst. See ya next time!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

 

Lacus Clyne sat on the balcony of the Arendelle castle, sipping some fresh tea. She had been on Arendelle for a few days while her home was being rebuilt. As she sat there, looking down at the planet's capital city, she thought of how Elsa Frost had spent her life defending this place.

"Enjoying the view, Miss Clyne?" a voice asked.

Lacus turned around to see a young woman with short brown hair walk over to her. "Oh, Rapunzel, I didn't see you there."

"It's okay," the princess replied. "Are you enjoying Arendelle so far?"

"Yes, but this isn't the first time I've come here," Lacus expressed. "I swear, this planet gets more and more beautiful with every time I visit."

Rapunzel looked out at the city. "It was more beautiful before the Zetans arrived."

Lacus sighed. "I know how it feels to lose a home to the Zetans."

"Those Zetans weren't the same as the ones that killed my husband all those years ago," Rapunzel expressed. "The Empire was a cruel and dark entity, that only desired conquest."

Lacus held her hand. "For what it's worth, I think you've done well here on Arendelle. Although I must ask: Why was Elsa crowned queen when you were already crown princess when you died?"

"Well, I wasn't supposed to be the crown princess to begin with," Rapunzel explained. "My dad and Elsa's dad were brothers, but Elsa lost her parents in a shuttle crash when she was very young."

"And since she was too young to inherit the throne, your father ruled Arendelle in his stead?"

"That's right. And since I was technically dead when Elsa came back to Arendelle, she was the rightful heir to the crown, although I have offered to take the throne away from her if ruling becomes too much for her."

"You'd make a good queen," Lacus remarked. "Elsa has a natural talent for it, though."

Suddenly, the two of them heard a loud droning noise from the sky above them.

"What the hell was that?!" Lacus exclaimed.

As if on cue, a massive, squid-like warship appeared in the sky, flanked by countless Geth ships.

"We're under attack!" Rapunzel realised.

Lacus' eyes widened in horror. "Oh, God, no. It's the Geth! The ones who attacked Eden Prime!"

Rapunzel activated a holo-communicator. "Attention, Arendelle Defense Force. Geth ships are invading. Prepare for combat!"

Sirens blared over the city as the Arendelle fighters and Mobile Suits took off towards the Geth, opening fire.

"Why do the Geth suddenly hate me?!" Lacus cried.

Rapunzel hugged Lacus. "It's fine. This probably has nothing to do with you."

"I know, but still."

"Don't worry. If my cousin is out there, she'll come and rescue us…I hope." Rapunzel grabbed Lacus by the hand. "Come on; we have to get underground. There's a whole network of hidden bunkers that they built after the Zetans left. Nobody can get in without being an official citizen of Arendelle, or having a citizen vouch for them."

"Are you sure we'll be safe there?"

"Positive; now come on," Rapunzel said.

xXx

 

On his flagship, Saren was coordinating the battle from his chamber. "All Geth, take the city by force. Once they have surrendered, proceed towards the Temple of Skadi. That is where our target is."

"Roger, roger."

"This is your final chance, Saren," a voice whispered in his mind. "If you fail me this time, I shall make you suffer."

"I will not fail, master," Saren vowed.

xXx

 

Meanwhile, the Archangel and Minerva were quickly approaching the planet, having just arrived on the outskirts of the system.

"Sapphira, what's the status of the Geth attack?" Kristoff inquired.

"They've already taken out most of the defense forces," Sapphira reported. "I'm not sure about casualties, but hopefully the civilians have gotten to the shelters by now."

Kristoff's commbadge beeped. "Frost to Bjorgman," Elsa's voice said. "How far are we from Arendelle?"

"Just entering the system now, Elsa," Kristoff replied. "And I thought Dr. Ziegler told you to stay in bed."

"I am in bed," Elsa replied. "Although I doubt I will be for much longer, given the situation."

"No, you are staying in bed, Your Majesty," Angela then said to Elsa. "You're not killing yourself again."

"Do what Angela says, Elsa," Kristoff told her. "We can handle Saren."

Elsa sighed. "Fine; just give him hell for me. And Kristoff? If anyone in my family is going out there…tell them I love them."

Kristoff smiled. "Certainly."

"Almost to Arendelle, sir," Tracer reported.

"Alright. Sapphira, Anna, Kiara, Javik, you'll go with me and Eric down to the surface," Kristoff instructed. "Kira, Athrun, Cagali: you guys coordinate with the Minerva crew, try and hold off the Geth in the sky. Any questions?"

"Just one," Sapphira said. "When do we get to kick Saren's face in?"

Kristoff smirked. "I'll let you know."

The Archangel and Minerva descended on Arendelle, and while Kristoff and his team prepared to beam down to the surface, Kira, Athrun, and the rest of the pilots launched their fighters and Mobile Suits from their respective ships to take on the Geth.

"Remember, team," Kira radioed his fellow pilots. "Don't let the Geth make it to the ground. We want to avoid civilian casualties as much as possible."

"Copy that," Cagali replied from her fighter, sounding distracted. The thought of Lacus being in danger was still running through her mind.

"Hey, Cagali," Athrun radioed in. "Are you okay?"

"I'm not sure," she replied. "I'm trying to focus on the mission, but…I'm just worried about Lacus."

"You know, you can just go down and find her if you want," Athrun reminded her. "Kira and I aren't gonna stop you."

"I know I can," Cagali said. "But I won't. Because if I go down to find her, and you two end up hurt...I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."

"We don't mind, Cagali," Kira added. "Just go to her, for us."

Cagali sighed. "Fine, I'll go, but if you two get your asses kicked out there, I'm not coming to find you."

Kira chuckled. "That's my sister."

As Cagali flew down towards the surface of Arendelle, she did something that she hadn't done in a long time. "God," she prayed, "please watch over my brother and Athrun, and keep them safe." Cagali landed her fighter in the capital city and climbed out, taking out her blaster pistol. "I'm coming, Lacus."

She headed towards the royal palace, seeing several Geth snooping around. "Where are you, baby?" she whispered.

As she turned the corner to walk towards the palace, Cagali noticed the Geth attacking the entrance to one of the underground shelters.

She frowned. "Oh, no you don't." She charged towards the Geth, opening fire on them with her pistol. Two of the Geth were taken out immediately, but a large Geth merely shrugged off the attack, taking aim at Cagali with a rocket launcher.

"Oh fuck!" Cagali exclaimed. She ducked for cover behind a huge chunk of rubble as the Geth opened fire on her. Cagali sighed as she lay behind the rubble, panting slightly. "Come on, Cagali. Lacus could be down there. You have to do this for her."

Cagali looked down at her blaster pistol, an idea forming in her head. She turned it up to its highest power setting, then threw it out towards the Geth. The Geth watched as the pistol clattered onto the ground in front of it, then bent down and picked it up. As it held the pistol up, it heard a high-pitched whine emanating from it. Before it could register what that meant, the pistol exploded, taking out the Geth's head.

Cagali smirked. "That's one stupid robot." She rushed over to the bunker's entrance, pressing a button on the security panel. "This is Lieutenant Cagali Yula Athha, of the Alliance starship Archangel. Is there a Lacus Clyne down there?"

The door to the bunker then opened and Lacus ran out, hugging Cagali tight.

Cagali hugged back, smiling. "Thank God you're okay."

Lacus kissed her passionately. "I'm glad you're here. The Geth started attacking again."

"I know, but we're taking care of that."

Rapunzel then walked out. "You must be Cagali. Lacus has told me quite a bit about you."

Cagali smiled. "And you must be Captain Frost's cousin, Princess Rapunzel."

"Is Elsa here with you?" Rapunzel asked.

"She got hurt in our last fight," Cagali explained. "But the rest of our crew are working to stop the rest of the Geth forces. I'll stay here and keep you guys safe, if you like."

Lacus shook her head. "No, we'll be okay. You just get back up there and beat those walking scrap piles."

"Alright, I'll get back to my fighter and once I rejoin the fight, I'll let Kira and Athrun know you're alright," Cagali told her. "And Lacus? I love you so much."

Lacus smiled. "I love you too, Cagali."

xXx

 

Meanwhile on the other side of the city, Kristoff, Eric and their team were taking out squads of Geth.

"Has anyone had signs of Saren yet?" Sapphira asked as she blasted a Geth commando with her energy.

"Not yet," Kiara replied.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Eric said. "I feel like he's just using the Geth to distract us so he can get to the beacon."

"I know how it feels, old friend," Kristoff agreed.

Suddenly, the group saw Saren's mobile platform above them, flying towards the mountains.

"There he is!" Anna exclaimed. "I think he's heading for the temple!"

Kristoff tapped his earpiece. "Melody, Saren's heading to the beacon fast. Can you beam us over to the Temple of Skadi?"

"I'm on it, sir!" Melody replied.

The team were then beamed over the Temple of Skadi, in the northern Arendelle mountains. The temple itself was a magnificent structure, carved out of the very ice present in the mountains.

Anna shivered as they arrived. "Brrr...it's cold up here."

"Don't worry, Mama," Sapphira said. "We'll be out of here soon enough."

Javik closed his eyes. "The beacon is inside."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Kiara said. "Let's get in there before Saren shows up!"

"Alright, everyone move out!" Kristoff ordered.

"Not so fast!" a cold voice called to them. Saren then landed behind them, walking off his mobile platform with a grin on his mandibles.

Kiara scowled. "You guys go. I'll keep him busy."

"No you won't," Sapphira replied, stepping up beside her. "Not on your own." She looked over at her future self. "We're in this together, me. No matter what."

"No, we'll hold him off," Eric said. "Anna, you and your daughters deal with the beacon. We'll keep Saren busy."

"I agree, you girls are a lot stronger than us," Kristoff remarked. "It's best if we have stronger defenses for the beacon."

"The beacon is inside a large statue at the centre of this temple," Javik said. "I sensed it when we arrived. Go, now."

Anna nodded. "Come on, girls."

As the Frost family entered the temple, Saren chuckled. "Sending your heavy hitters back? I think you're getting old, Admiral Bjorgman. Even an experienced commander would know that is a foolish tactic."

"Not necessarily," Kristoff replied. "If you were half as smart as you think you are, then you'd know that a concert doesn't start with the headlining act."

"Well then," Saren chuckled. "Show me what you've got."

"With pleasure." Kristoff charged at Saren, trying to punch him in the face, but Saren rolled him over onto the snow, pinning him down.

"I hear humans are among the most feeble of creatures," He remarked. "Let's test that theory." Saren grabbed Kristoff's arm and twisted it, hearing bone crack in half.

Kristoff screamed in pain.

"Kristoff!" Eric shouted. He rushed over to Saren and jumped onto his back. "No one breaks my buddy's arm and gets away with it, you metal son of a bitch!"

Saren tossed him off his back and pounced on Eric. "I suppose Hans will thank me in the afterlife for finally killing you, Eric Ansaris."

Javik then fired a biotic blast at Saren, knocking him off Eric. "Your reign of terror ends here, monster."

"I think you need to go back to your people, Prothean," Saren replied.

Eric and Kristoff both got up, Kristoff clutching his broken arm. "We can keep this up all night, Saren."

A squad of Geth transported behind Saren. "I'm afraid, Admiral," the Turian said, "that you are outnumbered."

Eric sighed. "Crap baskets."

Saren smiled. "Geth, take aim!"

The Geth raised their guns and pointed them at Eric and the team.

Just as Saren drew in breath, his mandibles forming the first sound of 'Fire', a familiar battle cry rang out: "JUSTICE RAINS FROM ABOVE!" A barrage of rockets came flying down, utterly obliterating the Geth squadron.

Saren did a double-take, mouth open in disbelief. "What?!"

Fareeha flew onto the scene, rocket launcher in hand. "This is for scaring my Angela on Virmire, you  _nadhil_." She then fired a rocket directly at Saren. The rocket hit Saren squarely in the gut, sending him flying into the temple and crashing into a wall.

Saren crawled back, smiling. "A worthy shot, I admit, but it will take more than that to slow me. Allow me to show you the full extent of my power."

Fareeha landed next to Kristoff and Eric. "Bring it on."

xXx

 

Inside the temple, Anna and Sapphira were in awe of the structure, amazed by its beauty. Kiara was leading the three of them. "Come on, guys!" she snapped. "Don't just stand there and admire the scenery; we've gotta find the beacon!"

Sapphira then saw the large statue of Skadi, the Norse goddess of winter. "There! That must be where the beacon is."

Anna charged up an energy blast in her hands. "Stand back, you two. I sincerely hope Elsa forgives me for doing this." She then fired the blast at the stature, breaking it apart to reveal the beacon.

"Well done, Mama," Kiara congratulated her mother.

"Yes, well done indeed," Saren's voice said to them.

Kiara sighed. "Oh, for fuck's sake."

The Turian then entered the room, dragging the beaten form of Fareeha Amari behind him. "I must admit, your friends proved to be stronger than I had anticipated. But now that they've been dealt with…."

"Forget it, Saren," Sapphira snapped. "You didn't get the last two beacons, and you're not getting this one."

"I beg to differ," Saren replied.

Kiara charged at Saren first, transforming to her true form. Saren growled and grabbed Kiara by her energy tail, tossing her across the room. Anna and Sapphira tried to double team Saren, but he knocked them back as well.

Saren growled in Anna's face as he grabbed her by the neck and pinned her against the wall. "Scream for me," he said, his grip on her throat tightening. "Let your wife hear you beg for mercy."

Anna closed her eyes tightly and screamed out one word, her voice filled with terror and desperation: "ELSAAAAAA!"

xXx

 

Elsa's shot up in her bed, having heard Anna's scream over the comm. She had to go and save her. "Angela," she said to her doctor. "I need to get down there."

"Absolutely not, Captain," Angela replied, an angry expression on her face. "Your bones are still healing."

Elsa climbed out of bed. "I respect your opinion, Doctor, but my family's in danger. I need to get to them."

"Captain, get back into bed!"

"Not a chance," Elsa argued, walking to the door.

"Captain!" Angela growled, following her.

Elsa walked to the turbolift, her sides hurting. "Gah! Angel, activate the turbolift."

"Yes, Captain," the AI replied.

The turbolift opened, and Elsa walked inside.

"Elsa, get back in your bed right now!" Angela shouted.

"No, Doctor," Elsa said. "Armoury."

Angela ran into the turbolift just before the doors closed. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"I'm going to get one of Anna's spare flight suits and get down there," Elsa explained, before groaning again due to her wound.

"Are you insane?" Angela shouted. "You'll kill yourself fighting Saren again."

"I don't care; I've been dead before," Elsa replied. "And I can fight him. Anna's suit hydraulics should compensate for my injuries."

The door opened, and Elsa and Angela walked out. "You are not doing this!" Angela said vehemently.

"I have to, Angela. For Arendelle, and my family."

"And as your doctor, I have to make sure you are fit for duty," Angela replied. "Angel, place an energy shield around the armoury. My command code." A force field then appeared over the door to the armoury.

"Angela, stop," Elsa demanded. "I need get in there!"

"And you also need to rest," Angela shot back.

"My fucking family is down there, Angela!" Elsa snapped. "And so is Fareeha. And if I don't do something, they'll all die!"

Angela sighed. "You are right. Angel, deactivate the energy field."

Elsa hugged Angela. "I'm sorry, Angela. But this is something I have to do."

Angela hugged back. "I know, Elsa, but just…be safe down there."

Elsa smiled. "I will. And I'll try not to get beaten up too badly." Elsa then walked into the armoury and found Anna's spare flight suit. "Alright, time for me to suit up."

xXx

 

Down on Arendelle, Saren had fully wiped the floor with Sapphira, Kiara, and Anna, and was making his way towards the beacon.

"Finally, a fragment of the Matrix is mine," he cackled. "Soon, I will make the galaxy in my image and you, my master, will bend to my will!"

Kiara looked up, bruised. "Saren…don't do this."

Saren looked at her. "Oh, you're still alive, are you?"

"Listen to me, Saren," she said. "The Reapers...how do you know they'll spare you when the time comes? How do you know they won't just kill you as soon as you cease to be valuable to them? And even if they don't, the only thing you'll be ruling is the ruins of a destroyed galaxy. Is that really what you want?"

Saren's eyes widened as realisation hit him like a punch in the gut. From the moment he had been whispered to by Sovereign in the Federation prison cells, he had been the perfect pawn. This wasn't how he wanted to avenge his fallen Empire, or his empress. If he wanted to make a change in the galaxy, maybe he didn't have to destroy it. "You…are right."

Suddenly, Elsa then arrived in a transporter beam, holding a plasma rifle. "Move away from the beacon, Saren."

Saren nodded. "I will, Elsa. I…I surrender to you."

Elsa looked at him, confused. "Wait-what?"

"Your daughter reminded me of my own vulnerability. I thought of myself as a god, but now I see that I am nothing more than a pawn."

Elsa put down her gun. "Is this some kind of trick? Some ploy to have me use the beacon so you can kill me?"

Saren shook his head. "No, I never lied when I was prefect of Arendelle, nor when I was a Spectre. And I'm not lying to you now."

Elsa sighed. "I wish Ariel were here right now to confirm that."

"Don't bother," Saren said. "Just take the Matrix segment from the beacon."

Elsa walked towards the beacon. "Time to end this."

The beacon glowed green and Elsa levitated into the air, surrounded by an emerald aura as the code of the Protheans was beamed into her mind. Now that it was complete, Elsa saw the advanced knowledge of the Protheans, as well as those that had come before, each one having added to the weapon that brought the Reapers down. As Elsa levitated down, her eyes still glowed green. "I…see everything. It all makes sense now."

Suddenly the entire area shook, causing Elsa to do a double-take. "What was that?"

Saren started to walk out of the temple. "Leave this to me." He walked out onto the mountaintop, seeing his warship hovering above him. He was going to end this, once and for all. "Sovereign!" he cried out. "It's over! I finally see that I was never your herald; I was your pawn! But no longer! I am Saren Arterius, Spectre, Zetan warrior. I am a Turian, and I fight with honour. And there is nothing honourable about what you've made me do! Even when I was Arendelle's prefect, I only punished those who I deemed worthy to die. But the ones I have slaughtered under your command…there was no honour in that! I told myself that I could rebuild the galaxy, but I was a fool."

A voice boomed out from the ship: " I find your lack of loyalty…disturbing. I gave you strength…power…an army…and yet you dare to defy me?"

"You're damn right I do! If I'm going to rebuild the Zetan Empire and reclaim my honour, I'd rather there still be a galaxy for me to rule!" Saren pressed a button on his robotic arm. "Geth, target Sovereign and destroy it!"

Saren's ship beckoned to him. "You think your Geth will turn against me? You forget that I am a god to them. And true believers do not betray their gods."

Kristoff got up wearily. "Is that...Saren's ship?"

Elsa walked over to him. "Yes. I'm not sure how, but it seems to be talking to him."

Kiara looked up. "It's just like it was in my timeline," she said. "That ship."

"If my Geth won't destroy you," Saren snapped, "then I will!" He then leaped into the air, summoning his mobile platform. "For the Empire!" He started to race towards his ship.

Suddenly, a loud growl was heard from the ship, and a wave of energy fired out from it. Saren clutched his head and fell off his platform, crying out in agony as his implants started to combust, melting his skin. By the time he hit the ground, he was nothing more than a charred metal skeleton lying in the snow.

Elsa looked on in shock. "My gods…it just killed him."

The ship turned slightly, pointing directly towards Elsa. One of its tentacles raised up, and a small, thin beam of light was fired at her.

"Hey, what's going on?!" Elsa demanded as she was bathed in the light. Suddenly, she was lifted off the ground and into the air.

"Mom!" Sapphire and Kiara cried out.

Anna weakly opened her eyes. " _Nira_ …no…."

Elsa cried out in pain as she vanished into the beam.

"Elsa!" Kristoff cried.

The warship's engines fired up and it raced out of the atmosphere, accelerating away from Arendelle with Elsa as its prisoner.

xXx

 

 **Author's note:** Elsa nooo! that's what you're all saying right? Well, I have bad news... Elsa is going to go through a lot of shit, trust me, but I hope you enjoyed this action-packed chapter. Next time, there's an homage to something I hold near and dear. See you then! ^^


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

 

_Acting captain's log, stardate 50248.4: Admiral Kristoff Bjorgman speaking. The Geth have retreated from Arendelle and Saren Arterius is dead, but his ship, which we now believe to be sentient, has taken Captain Elsa Frost hostage. As we work to rebuild Arendelle, we are planning a mission to rescue her, wherever she is._

Anna was crying in her room on the Archangel, looking at a picture of Elsa. Her  _nira_  had been taken prisoner, and she was powerless to do anything about it. Her mind couldn't begin to fathom the horrors Elsa could be suffering.

The door to her room opened and Ariel walked in. "Anna?" She sat by Anna, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Does it look like I'm okay?!" Anna snapped, tears in her eyes. She then sighed and looked down. "I'm sorry, Ariel. I just…."

"You're worried about Elsa. I know how you feel. I've already visited Sapphira; she was crying as well."

"What are those monsters doing to my Elsa…?" Anna sobbed. "It should have ended after Saren died."

"Not everything goes as we expect," Ariel replied. "I never expected to become this ship's counselor, but here I am."

"Spare me the analogies," Anna said coldly.

Ariel sighed. "I'm sorry, that wasn't a good example."

"I have to find Elsa. I have to save her, like she's always saved me."

"I know," Ariel said. "I've read your emotions. You're a deep blue cloud of anger and fear right now."

"Deep blue cloud?"

"It's how my empathic powers perceive people," Ariel explained.

Anna looked at her hands. They were bandaged up after she had been beaten by Saren over at the Temple of Skadi, as was a lot of her body. "I just wish my wounds would heal faster."

"You sound like Elsa when she joined the fight," Ariel remarked. "Angela told me how angry and determined she was, despite being broken inside."

Anna then looked deep inside herself. If Elsa was gone, she had to lead her family on her own…and she had to start right now. "You said Sapphira had been crying?"

"Yes," Ariel confirmed. "She's in her quarters now."

"I need to go to her," Anna said. "I'm her mother."

Ariel nodded. "I'll take you straight there."

Ariel led Anna down to Sapphira's quarters, seeing Melody just outside the room. "Hey Mom," Melody said.

"Hey, seashell," Ariel greeted her. "How's your wife?"

Melody sighed. "Pretty beat up. I'm scared, Mom. This is worse than how she was when that Quarian fleet got blown up."

"I remember," Anna said. "May I go in?"

"Yeah. Lacus is in there right now, but she's not doing much good."

"There's one thing my daughter needs right now," Anna said. "And that's a mother's love."

"Aren't you technically the dad?" Melody pointed out.

Ariel gave her daughter a look saying that sort of comment wasn't appropriate.

Melody sighed. "Sorry, Mrs. Frost."

Anna smiled a bit. "It's okay. You were only trying to lighten the mood, Melody."

Melody pressed the button to open the door, and Anna walked inside. Sapphira was on the bed, and Lacus Clyne was sitting beside her, embracing her.

Lacus then looked up. "Well, look who's here."

Sapphira saw her mother and smiled a little bit. "Mama."

"It's alright, Sapphira," Anna said softly to her, kneeling down in front of the bed. "I'm here for you."

She wiped a few tears. "Do you know what's gonna happen with Mom?"

Anna shook her head. "No, Kristoff and Eric haven't told me anything yet."

Lacus then looked at Anna. "Do you mind if I leave, Mrs. Frost?" she requested. "I need to go and help out with the relief effort."

"No, I don't," Anna responded. "You've been a good help, Lacus."

Lacus smiled. " _Kontosi_ , Mrs. Frost."

Kiara's eyes widened. "Wait, was that…?"

"The Knydaxian word for thank you," Lacus told her. "At least that's what Kira said it was. Was he right?"

Anna nodded. "Yes. I see the language of my people hasn't been truly forgotten."

"Well, I only know a few words. It's not like I could write a whole song in Knydaxian, but I'm always keen to learn new things." She then got up and walked to the door. "I'll leave you girls in peace, then."

As the door closed, Sapphira hugged her mother tightly, and Anna hugged back. "It's okay, little ones," she told them.

"I...I shouldn't feel this scared. But I do."

"It's okay. There's nothing to be ashamed of. I was just crying myself, but Ariel came and told me you were upset as well."

"Will she be okay?"

"I don't know, my  _kokuri_ ," Anna replied. "I just don't know."

xXx

 

Up in the Captain's ready room, Kristoff was sat behind the desk with a cup of coffee, but he wasn't drinking it. He didn't like Elsa not being there. She had always been there for him all these years, and having her gone just felt…off.

The door to the room then opened, and Eric walked in. "Hey, mind if I come in?"

"Sure," Kristoff replied. "I'm not exactly doing anything right now."

Eric sat in front of him. "Coffee going cold?"

"For some reason, I've lost my appetite."

"I can agree to that," Eric remarked. "I'm still processing what went on down on Arendelle."

Kristoff reached over and patted Eric's shoulder. "It's okay."

Eric took a deep breath and sighed. "I just…it's hard to take in. Ariel told me how pretty much everyone on the ship and on Arendelle is beat up about Elsa, and I can see why."

"Elsa was the heart and soul of our little team," Kristoff replied. "Without her, everything just feels…hollow."

Eric nodded. "Have you heard from Shepard yet?"

"Just a few minutes ago. The Normandy's been making patrol runs across some nearby sectors, but they still haven't found that ship."

"I bet they're hiding in a nebula somewhere," Eric theorised. "But that just complicates things. There are about six dozen nebulas in this part of the galaxy."

"Maybe, but we won't know for sure."

"What about the council?" Eric asked.

"I've sent a report to them, but I haven't heard back yet," Kristoff replied.

"Typical politicians," Eric remarked.

Kristoff turned to look out of the window, seeing Arendelle below. "Elsa's homeworld truly is beautiful."

"It is," Eric added. "I think I'm right in saying it's probably the most perfect planet in the whole galaxy."

"I agree."

Eric got up. "Well, I'll be on the Minerva, working with the relief teams. A lot of the capital got trashed in the attack, and we've got a lot of rebuilding to do."

"I'll send Kira, Athrun, and Cagali down to give you a hand," Kristoff replied.

"Thanks, any extra hands would be appreciated," Eric thanked him. "Oh, and Kristoff?"

"Yeah?"

Eric smiled. "Don't lose hope. We'll find Elsa, and we'll bring her home."

"I know." After Eric left, Kristoff muttered to himself, "I just hope she's alive when we do."

xXx

 

Elsa Frost awoke in a darkened room, feeling metal restraints around her arms and legs. The last thing she could remember was Saren's ship firing a beam at her, and then everything went dark. She tried to break free of the restraints, but she was clearly fastened down tight. "Where am I? What is this?!"

Suddenly a large red light filled the room, as Elsa saw what appeared to be an eye above her. "You are awake," a deep booming voice said to her.

"Yeah, I'm awake, and I'm pissed off," Elsa replied. "Where am I?"

"You are inside of my structure," the voice informed her.

Elsa then thought for a moment. "You're alive? What are you, some AI built by the Reapers?"

"I am that which you refer to as Reaper."

"So… you  _are_  the ship. That just makes things worse."

"I have brought you here for a purpose."

"No one kidnaps me for any purpose," Elsa argued. "Especially not giant sentient seafood spaceships."

"I am more than just a ship. My kind have existed for millions upon millions of years."

"Get to the point," Elsa demanded. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Saren has failed me, the voice said. "He was weak. But you...your will is much stronger than his."

"I have what you're looking for," Elsa told him. "The power to bring back the rest of your kind."

"Precisely. And you will give that power to me...willingly or not."

"Why do you want to continue what your kind did?"

"Because we are necessity. Our creators wished for the universe to be perfect. But we…outgrew them, and harvested them like we shall do with your kind. We will bring an end to your wars, peace to your worlds…order to your chaos."

"Your idea of order is wrong."

"Life and death, good and evil, right and wrong; we are beyond such primitive concepts. And we are beyond anything organics can conceive."

"How did you even survive?"

"I had been damaged in a Prothean attack. The first casualty of the war. My systems had to shut down to repair myself. I was found recently by the ones you call Geth. They saw me as a god."

"And what do I call you?"

"You may refer to me as Sovereign, because I am your master now."

Elsa scowled. "News flash: I have no master."

"You will submit to me, as so many others already have."

"I won't bend to your whim like Saren did."

"You will not have to. I see now that free will only will make you more of a threat to me, so I shall take that away."

Elsa then looked up, seeing a series of metal tentacles moving towards her body. "W-what are you doing to me?!"

"In order to be a part of my plan," Sovereign said, "you must become a part of me."

Elsa looked in terror at the tentacles as equipment started to surround her. "No…no! NOOOOOO!"

xXx

 

"Admiral," Tracer reported from the Archangel's bridge. "I've just received a transmission from the Normandy. They've picked up a signal that could be Saren's ship."

Kristoff walked onto the bridge, sitting in the captain's chair. "Where is it?"

"The Orios Nebula," Tracer stated.

Kristoff stroked his chin. "That's near that ice moon Ariel and I went to."

Anna walked onto the bridge. "What's up, Kristoff?"

"We think we've found Elsa, Anna," Kristoff replied. "I assume you're familiar with the Orios Nebula?"

Anna nodded. "Yes, that's where Hans tried to attack me and Elsa all those years ago. We tried to lose him in that nebula, but he damaged our ship and we eventually crashed on Geon IV."

"Not one of the most pleasant places I've visited," Kristoff remarked.

"We should get going, sir," Tracer reminded them. "That ship could move to another hiding spot."

"Alright, we'll leave Athrun and Kira to handle things here on Arendelle. Get your daughters up here, Anna."

Anna nodded. "Aye, aye."

The Archangel left Arendelle's orbit and went to warp, heading for the Orios Nebula.

"We should be nearing the nebula in three minutes," Merida reported as Anna, Sapphira, and Kiara returned to the bridge.

"Prepare for anything," Kristoff told his crew. "We don't fully know what Saren's ship is capable of."

"Please be safe, Mom," Kiara murmured.

The Archangel dropped out of warp just outside the nebula. The gases and multicoloured dust clouds spread out for several lightyears. If anyone-or anything-was hiding in there, it would take quite some time to find them.

"I've scanned the nebula," Sapphira stated, checking her console. "No sign of that ship yet."

"The nebula could be interfering with close-range scans," Kristoff theorised. "Ariel, can you sense anything?"

Ariel closed her eyes for a moment. "No...there's nothing."

"Well, that's fuckin' ominous," Kiara remarked.

An alarm then blared on the bridge. "We've got company, Admiral," Angel stated.

"Raise shields," Kristoff instructed.

Out of the gas of the nebula, Sovereign revealed itself, moving through the clouds towards the Archangel.

"That's the ship," Sapphira stated.

"Thanks, Lieutenant Obvious," Kiara sarcastically muttered.

Sapphira shot her a dirty look, then turned her attention to the console in front of her. "Um, Admiral?"

"What is it, Saph?" Kristoff asked.

"That…thing is hailing us."

"Hailing us?" Kristoff inquired. "Put it on screen."

The viewscreen flickered to life, and the crew was greeted with a gut-wrenching sight: Elsa stood before them, wearing what could best be described as Geth armour. There were various cybernetic implants on her face and neck, all connecting into the armour. Her already-pale skin was now bleached white, and her platinum blonde braid had been lopped off in favor of a buzz cut. And her eyes, once a cool icy blue, were now the deep red color of blood.

"What the fuck…?" Kristoff murmured. "Elsa, can you hear me? Are you alright?"

"The organic known as Elsa Frost has ceased to exist," she answered. Her voice was a cold, unfeeling monotone, with robotic modulation added to it. "I am Sovereign. This form is now an extension of my own mind. In order to ensure compatibility, it was necessary for it to be…upgraded." She raised her left arm, revealing that it had been replaced by a large robotic claw. "You will be harvested and upgraded to serve us as well," she went on. "Organics and other life forms are weak; through us, you shall become strong. You shall become one with us."

Anna stared at the screen, her eyes filling with tears. "What have you done to her?" she asked softly, moving to the center of the bridge. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY  _NIRA?!_ " she screamed.

"Those who do not submit will be exterminated," Elsa went on, giving no indication that she had heard Anna. "Resistance is futile. Submit…or die."

"Mom…." Sapphira looked down.

"You monster!" Kristoff growled. "You release Elsa right now!"

"I do not submit to your demands, human. I am superior to all life in this galaxy. There is no Elsa," she repeated. "There is only Sovereign."

Ariel looked at Kristoff. "She's right. I can't sense any of Elsa's presence within that thing. In fact...I can't sense anything. No life, no emotion, nothing."

Anna was still standing there, tears streaming down her face. "Let her go!" she begged. "Take me instead; just let her go!"

"You organics are burdened by emotion, and synthetics are burdened by their own programming. I am what you will all become once you are harvested," Sovereign stated. "And now I will tear you apart, piece by piece."

"Sir, that ship is charging weapons!" Tracer cried.

"Merida, take us into the nebula!" Kristoff ordered.

"No!" Anna cried out, rushing towards him. Sapphira and Kiara ran in and grabbed her arms to restrain her. "Elsa!" she sobbed. "ELSAAAAA!"

The Archangel raced into the nebula and Sovereign gave chase, firing upon the ship.

"Gah!" Tracer grunted as a laser blast rocked the ship. "We took heavy damage to the rear shields."

"Can we go to warp?" Kristoff asked.

"No; the nebula's playing havoc with our warp field."

"Divert as much power as we can spare to the warp engines," Kristoff demanded. "Get us the hell out of here, NOW!"

"Kristoff, it's too risky!" Ariel told him. "Sapphira, Kiara, can you two combine your powers to cloak the Archangel?"

"We'll try," Sapphira said. She and her sister placed their hands on the floor of the Archangel's bridge, a wave of blue energy emanating from their hands and coating the entire ship, cloaking it from view.

On Sovereign's bridge, one of the Geth troopers turned to face Sovereign-Elsa. "Nazara, they have cloaked from our sight."

"Let them run," Sovereign-Elsa replied. "They will be harvested, along with the rest of this galaxy."

As Sovereign moved out of the nebula, the Archangel crew started to repair their damaged ship.

"Damage report?" Kristoff requested.

"You don't wanna know," Tracer replied.

"Kristoff…you were reckless there," Ariel pointed out. "You knew Tracer had said we couldn't go to warp in this nebula, but you wanted to anyway. We could have died."

Kristoff sighed. "I know. I was stupid."

"You let your emotions cloud your judgement," Ariel told him. "That's something you shouldn't do."

"I know, I know…it's just…."

"Elsa," Ariel said. "I know exactly how that feels. Everyone does."

Anna was in the corner of the bridge, sobbing. "She's gone…Elsa is gone…."

"We'll save her, Mama," Sapphira promised, hugging Anna.

"How can we?" Kiara asked. "Mom is a part of that thing now."

Sapphira sighed. "I…I don't know, sis."

xXx

 

 **Author's note:** Yes, this is a rip off of the Best of both worlds from Star Trek TNG. But it's a good rip off right? Right? Ah... your probably still feeling down over Elsa. I should probably just go and wait for... myself to put out the next chapter or something.

See you next time!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

 

_Acting captain's log: supplemental. Captain Elsa Frost has been taken over by the Reaper ship, which we now know is called Sovereign. What we don't know is what our enemy's next move may be. Our Prothean friend Javik is combing through the Prothean beacon we recovered from Arendelle in hopes of locating where his people's superweapon may be._

Kristoff walked into the cargo bay, where Javik and Ariel had set up shop. The Prothean had used his biotics to connect himself to the beacon, and was now sitting cross-legged in the air beside it. "Any progress on the beacon?" he asked.

"Javik's been combing the database for any signs of where Sovereign may be next," Ariel reported. "But so far, no luck."

Kristoff sighed. "It's bad enough we have to still fight that thing even though Saren is dead, but now we have to fight Elsa too."

"I know how it feels, Admiral," Javik said. "I watched as my Prothean brothers and sisters were turned into the Reapers' monsters and used against their own people."

"Yeah, but Elsa is different."

"Is she? She is still under their control. A monster or not, she is their slave now."

Kristoff looked down. Javik did have a point. Elsa was nothing more than a part of Sovereign's body now, an extension of its will. "Have you been able to find anything related to what your people did with the Crucible at the end of your war?"

"I am still looking, but I believe I have found an answer to one of your questions," Javik replied.

"And what might that be?"

"Have you wondered how Elsa was able to react to my people's technology the way she could, even though she herself was not Prothean?"

"The thought had crossed my mind," Kristoff responded.

"As my people's war against the Reapers neared its conclusion, we feared that our defeat was becoming inevitable. But we refused to allow everything that we had done to be in vain. So we seeded several planets with pure Prothean DNA, in hopes that a species would evolve and eventually be able to use our technology. And possibly...they might succeed where we had failed. Elsa's homeworld-Arendelle, I believe you call it-may have been one of those planets."

"So Elsa is part Prothean?" Ariel inquired.

"Yes, but only in a very small amount," Javik replied. "Possibly as little as 1%."

"Then what about Saren?" Kristoff asked.

"He was most likely altered by Sovereign to be compatible," Javik explained.

"Such interesting revelations," Ariel mused.

"How long will you be before we can find out where Sovereign is going?" Kristoff asked Javik. "Because we don't have a lot of time here."

"I am doing the best I can, Admiral," Javik stated. "I cannot make any guarantees on when, or even if, I will find what we are looking for."

"Well, when you do, let me know," Kristoff told him as he left the room.

"He is persistent," Javik remarked to Ariel.

"He's worried about Elsa," Ariel replied. "We all are."

"I realise that, but he must understand that even if we are successful, Elsa may not return to us alive."

"He does understand that," Ariel said. "He just doesn't want to lose hope."

"At this point, all we can do is hope," Javik said coldly.

xXx

 

Anna was in hers and Elsa's quarters, sitting on the bed and looking out at the stars. She had been crying again, more so than when Elsa had been kidnapped. Learning of her true love's fate had taken a heavy toll on her.

There was a soft knock on the door. "Mama...?" Sapphira's voice called softly.

Anna looked up. "Come in, Sapphira."

Sapphira entered the room, looking at her mother with concern. "How are you?"

Anna sighed. "If you really want to know, little one…I feel like shit."

Sapphira sat down on Anna's bed. "Me too. I…I feel like this is all my fault. If I had flown up and grabbed her, or stopped the beam, or…or just done something."

"You couldn't have known," Anna told her. "And neither could Kiara."

"I should have though!" Sapphira argued. "Now mom is this... thing that's plugged into that ship."

"I know,  _kansei_. I know." Anna sighed. "Go and find Kiara. She needs her sister."

"I already have done," Sapphira replied. "She's actually taking it a lot better than either of us."

"Oh." Anna looked out the window again. "I suppose she's used to Elsa being gone."

"That, or she's just good at hiding her feelings," Sapphira remarked.

"Maybe it's neither," a voice then added. Kiara walked into the room. "Hey."

Anna looked up at Kiara. "Then what  _is_  the reason?"

"Because I know we'll get Mom back," Kiara said. "I don't care if she's dead or alive; I just want to get her back."

Anna smiled a tiny bit. "That's my girl. Don't lose hope."

Kiara went and hugged Sapphira. "Melody's been asking about you. She and Tracer were gonna watch holo-movies in your quarters, and they wondered if you wanted to go."

"No, thanks," Sapphira replied. "It's a sweet idea, but I don't feel good leaving Mama alone."

Anna shook her head. "No, you should go and enjoy yourself, little one. I'll be okay."

"Okay, Mama," Sapphira went over and kissed her cheek. "I love you."

Anna smiled. "I love you too."

As her daughters left the room, Anna closed the door behind them and turned off the lights. She then walked over to the dresser and opened a drawer, taking out a small chunk of iridium. Its purple glow had faded, its energy long since depleted, but that didn't matter. She didn't need its energy; not for this.

Anna got onto her knees facing the window and held up the iridium, closing her eyes and bowing her head. " _O toria iruk'hei,_ " she murmured, " _riez ja'tou uhacch. Jai tu'a ke, mentias vakemi Elsa Frost. Na'oi ja'tou tudko…na'oi ja'tou nira. Jai toku na dun, dun wren. Osir'sha na, et hen nex Sovereign shaa'gei na'oir merajj._ " She opened her eyes and looked out at the stars, tears streaming down her face. " _Toria iruk'hei, jai onu ut ke…mentias konir ja'tou nira sha'rill._ "

xXx

 

Meanwhile, in the Archangel's medical bay, Angela was working on something when Kristoff entered the room. "You wanted to share something with me, doctor?"

Angela nodded. "Yes, please come with me."

Angela led him into the Archangel's morgue, where the burned skeleton of Saren Arterius lay under a blanket. "You would not believe how hard it was for me to get this onto the ship."

"Get to the point, Doc," Kristoff said gruffly.

"Ever since I saw how Elsa had been, for lack of a better term, altered by that ship, I've been examining Saren's remains."

"Why?"

"I'm trying to figure out if what Sovereign did to Saren is the same for Elsa. But there's only so much you can gather from studying charred bones."

"Is there any tech left on him?" Kristoff asked. "Even if it's something as inconsequential as a memory chip, it could give us a clue as to what that thing did to Captain Frost."

"Saren had a lot of modifications done to his body," Angela admitted. "I'm surprised there was that much organic matter left in his body."

"Well, look over every single scrap of flesh and tech on these goddamn bones," Kristoff ordered. "And I don't want to hear anything else from you unless you've found something, got it?"

Angela frowned. "Kristoff, you don't need to be so angry with me."

Kristoff sighed. "I'm sorry."

"I will do my best," she promised. "Don't worry."

Kristoff smiled a little. "I know you will, Angela. You always do."

"Elsa told me about you and her met," Angela stated. "I can't believe you ratted out Jafar together."

He smiled. "Yeah. Sometimes, I look back on my life, and I'm just awestruck. A doofy Newtype from a family of Norwegian farmers, turned Federation academy dropout, turned smuggler, turned admiral in the Galactic Alliance."

"Well, I'm a resistance medic, turned doctor, turned chief medical officer," Angela replied. "Not as glamorous as you, though."

"And then there's Anna," Kristoff chuckled. "From slave girl to galactic hero."

"Speaking of Anna, she was asking me for some medication earlier."

"Medication? For what?"

"She was rather vague about it," Angela said with a shrug. "All I know is that I gave her some antidepressants. My best guess is that she's struggling to cope with what happened to Captain Frost."

"You don't think she'd…you know, if we can't get Elsa back from this."

Angela sighed. "I don't know. My training is in medicine, not psychology. The only thing I'm certain of is that if Elsa doesn't come back...Anna is going to need all of us."

"I agree there."

Kristoff's commbadge then beeped. "Admiral Bjorgman," Javik said, "I believe I have found something through the fibrenet."

Kristoff tapped his badge. "I'm on my way, Javik."

"Good luck," Angela said. As Kristoff left the room, Angela walked to another ward in the medical bay to see to another patient. As she entered, she saw Fareeha lying on a bed, hooked up to life support. The fight on Arendelle had dealt extensive damage to the Egyptian's body: several cracked and broken bones, a partially collapsed lung, internal bleeding, and minor brain damage. When Angela had gotten her back to the ship, Fareeha's heart had stopped; only the machines kept the blood and oxygen circulating through her system. Scans of her brain revealed that the damage done to it had put her into a coma-and Angela wasn't sure when, or even if, she would wake up from it.

Angela stroked Fareeha's cheek, trying her best to hold back tears. "I'm sorry, Fareeha," she murmured. "I should have been there to protect you. I should have saved you. It's my fault that you're like this." She sighed, holding her love's limp hand. "I'm not even sure if you can hear me."

Just then, Fareeha's hand twitched slightly, slowly closing around Angela's. " _Hal hdha...alsama'?_ " she said in Arabic, her voice a raspy whisper.

Angela's eyes widened. "Fa…Fareeha?"

Fareeha's eyes slowly opened, and as she looked up at Angela, she smiled very weakly through her oxygen mask. "This must be heaven. Because I see an angel."

Angela held her girlfriend's hand, tears of joy filling her eyes. "You're not dead, love. You're alive. You've been in a coma."

"How…how long have I been out?" Fareeha asked.

"Two days. I was very worried; I couldn't tell if you would even wake up."

"Saren… what happened to him?"

"He's…dead. I'm sorry. I wanted to be the one to kill him for you, but someone beat me to it."

"Don't avenge me, Angela," Fareeha said. "I can avenge myself." She squeezed the doctor's hand. "But only if I have my guardian angel there to watch over me."

Angela smiled, kissing her lover's forehead. "You rest here now. You need to be back on your feet soon."

"I will, Doctor," Fareeha remarked. "Promise you'll be back soon?"

Angela nodded. "I'm not leaving you, Fareeha. You said it yourself; I'm your guardian angel."

xXx

 

Kristoff walked to the Archangel's communications room, where Javik and Ariel were waiting. "What did you find, Javik?"

"I have located the Crucible, Admiral," Javik stated. He pressed a few buttons on the console, and a hologram of a planet appeared. "It is here, on my people's homeworld of Ilos."

"That's near Thessia, the Asari homeworld," Kristoff remarked.

Ariel bit her lip to hold back a sarcastic comment, then said, "Yes it is. I think we should head there as soon as we can."

"Alright, I'll have Merida set a-"

Suddenly, Kristoff's badge beeped again. "Sir, the Normandy is approaching our position," Sapphira reported, "and Commander Shepard is hailing us."

Kristoff groaned. "Never mind." He tapped his badge. "I'll take it on the bridge, Saph." He left the comm room and headed to the bridge, with Javik and Ariel close behind him. As he sat in the captain's chair, he said to Sapphira, "Put her through."

Shepard's face appeared on the viewscreen. "Admiral Bjorgman," she said evenly. "We just got orders from Alliance Command. They want us to bring you back to the Citadel."

"What?" Kristoff asked incredulously. "Jane, we can't go back to the Citadel. We just found out where Sovereign is going to attack next and hopefully we can save Elsa."

Shepard sighed. "I'm sorry, Kristoff. If you don't comply, you could face a court martial."

"Jane, please, listen to me," Kristoff argued. "We need to go to Ilos."

"Look, I'm no happier about it than you are. But orders are orders. The higher-ups told me to bring you back to the Citadel, and that's what I'm gonna do. If it makes you feel better, I'll go to Ilos and check things out.

Kristoff sighed. "No. I'll come with you, but you're not going to Ilos. If you go there alone, you'll be slaughtered. I've lost enough friends these past few years."

"You said it yourself, Kristoff. Someone has to go." Shepard sighed. "Someone has to stop Sovereign."

"But I'd rather it be us than you," Kristoff replied.

"I get it. Just follow our course. I'm sorry about this."

"Don't be. I'll get this sorted out." With that, he closed the communication channel.

Anna then arrived on the bridge. "Kristoff, what's going on?"

"The Normandy is taking us back to the Citadel, Anna," he explained.

"What?! Why?"

"I'm not really sure myself," he said with a sigh. "But I won't let them keep us down."

"Will we save Elsa?"

"We're going to save her, Anna. No matter what."

Anna blinked away tears. "You promise?" she asked in a small voice.

Kristoff gave her a big hug. "You're damn right I do. I'll bring Elsa back to you, Anna. Whatever it takes."

xXx

 

Some hours later, the Archangel and Normandy docked at the Citadel, and Kristoff, Javik, and Anna headed to the Citadel tower for an audience with the Alliance Council.

"The Citadel is still a wonder to behold," Javik remarked. "It is as beautiful now as it was in my time."

"Was it full of pig-headed politicians as well?" Kristoff asked in a derisive tone.

"Yes, but thankfully, they were taken care of rather quickly," Javik stated.

The three of them arrived in the council chambers, the councilors standing just above them on a platform.

"Admiral Bjorgman," Terissa Thesslayne greeted them. "To what do we owe the pleasure."

"Alliance Command called us back here, Councilor," Kristoff replied flatly. "You tell us."

Councilor Udina folded his arms. "If you must know, Admiral, we're calling all priority ships back to the Citadel in case of Geth attack. That includes you, Captain Ansaris, and Commander Shepard."

"We know the main Geth forces will attack here," Chairman Durandal put in. "If we can beat them here with a combined fleet, we will have a chance."

"It's for the defense of the Citadel, Admiral," Adella Triton stated. "You should understand that."

Kristoff opened his mouth to respond, but Anna stepped forward. "Pardon my language, but: what the fuck is wrong with you people?!" she demanded. "My WIFE has been kidnapped and brainwashed, and you want us to sit by and do nothing?!"

"We sympathise with you, Lieutenant Frost," Councilor Ingrid replied. "She is my queen as much as she is your wife."

"But the defense of the galaxy comes first," Councilor Sparatus added.

"I don't care about the galaxy," Anna retorted. The only thing that matters to me is my family. Captain Frost saved me from slavery a long time ago. I owe her my life."

"As my colleague said, Lieutenant," Therissa stated, "we sympathise with you, but you must stay here. If you disobey orders, you will be punished accordingly."

Kristoff sighed. "Come on, Anna. We're done here."

Anna sighed in defeat, returning to Kristoff's side. As she did so, Javik looked up at the council. "If I may, councilors, I have a parting query. You claim that your priority is protecting the galaxy from this looming threat. And yet you order all of your most powerful ships-the ones best equipped to possibly destroy said threat-to return to the Citadel. Tell me: who are you attempting to protect? The countless trillions of lives in the galaxy...or the small handful of lives in this room?"

With that, he turned and left the council chambers, followed by Anna and Kristoff.

xXx

 

"So we're just giving up on Mom?!" Sapphira exclaimed.

Anna merely looked at her drink. "I'm not sure what to do now, little one."

The three of them were in a club called Flux, sat at a table by a large window looking out over one of the Citadel's arms. Anna had been there for close to an hour, trying-and failing-to drown her sorrows in synthehol, when her daughters had come to find her.

Kiara looked down at her drink as well. "You know, the sad thing is I don't blame them for wanting us here. I saw firsthand what the Reapers are capable of."

"Kiara, what are you saying?!" Sapphira argued.

"I'm saying that I understand why they brought us here. I didn't say I wouldn't rather be trying to find Mom."

"Girls, girls," Anna calmed her daughters down. "Please, not so loud."

Sapphira sighed. "I just wish there were something we could do."

At that moment, Commander Shepard and Liara walked over to them, dressed in rather casual clothing. "Hello, everyone," Liara greeted them.

"Hey, Dr. T'soni," Sapphira replied, trying to sound enthusiastic. "What brings you over here?"

"Liara and I have just been relieved of duty," Shepard explained, a note of annoyance in her voice. "The Normandy's been put into drydock, and my crew have either been assigned somewhere else or been put on involuntary shore leave."

"What about your ship's AI?" Sapphira asked. "EDI, I think her name was."

"She had to download herself fully into her robotic body," Liara explained.

"But why?" Anna asked. "Why were you relieved?"

"The Council wants heavy hitters like the Archangel and the Minerva to lead the defense of the Citadel," Shepard explained. "So there's no use for a small frigate like the Normandy."

"Damn," Kiara remarked. "We could have used you."

Sapphira then got an idea. "Wait a second. If the Normandy's in drydock, then the ship will be free."

"What are you getting at, Sapphira?" Liara asked.

"I say we hijack the Normandy," Sapphira answered, "and take it to Ilos."

"No," Shepard said brusquely.

Kiara sighed. "That's dumb, even for me. And you  _are_  me."

"The Normandy will probably have a lot of security systems around it," Liara said.

"I know it's a long shot," Sapphira went on. "But if we wanna save Mom and stop Kiara's future from happening, it's the only option we've got."

"Sapphira is right," Anna said. "Commander, I'd like to put myself forward as first officer for this mission."

Shepard sighed. "Fine, we'll do it. I owe you people that much. But Anna, we should wait till you sober up first."

"No, I'm not drunk," Anna retorted, before she hiccuped. "Okay, maybe I am a little bit."

Javik walked over to them. "I could not help overhearing your little plan."

"Javik!" Liara greeted him.

"Hello, Asari," Javik replied. "You look well."

"You wanna tag along, big guy?" Kiara asked him.

The Prothean nodded. "If it will help avenge my people, I'll do anything."

"Alright, then," Sapphira said. "Let's go steal ourselves a ship."

xXx

 

Some time later, the group had snuck down to the Normandy's hangar on the Citadel. The ship was behind a force field, and held in place with docking clamps.

"Okay, no one should be onboard," Shepard stated. "But someone will need to disconnect the security override from the hangar controls over there." She then pointed to a console next to the Normandy.

"I'll handle the controls," Sapphira said.

"Be careful, little sapphire," Anna put her hand on her shoulder. "We don't want to leave you behind."

"You won't, Mama," Sapphira reassured her.

As Sapphira went over to the console, Shepard and Liara walked onto their ship, Shepard sitting down at the controls. "This feels weird," she commented.

"Are you a bad pilot?" Liara inquired.

"It's not that; I meant that the chair literally feels weird." As she looked over the controls, she muttered, "Joker's gonna tear my head off for messing up his groove."

Liara kissed Shepard's cheek. "You're doing fine, sweetie."

Shepard smiled. "I knew there was a good reason I married you."

Javik then joined them. "I assume the systems are online?"

"They will be shortly," Liara said, heading over to the various consoles and activating each one in turn.

Javik smiled. "I must admit, I am growing fond of that Asari."

"Careful, Javik," Shepard reminded him. "She's my girl."

"I did not mean in a mating sense," Javik told her.

Shepard chuckled. "Honestly, we need to get you a sense of humor."

Outside, Sapphira was almost done deactivating the controls. "Okay. There should be one last security block to delete, and then we should be good to go."

Just then, Kiara saw Kristoff and Melody running towards them. "Um, can you do it faster?"

"Sapphira, stop this now!" Kristoff shouted. "That's an order!"

Melody pulled a blaster rifle on them. "Do as Kristoff says, Saph."

"Kristoff, what are you doing?!" Anna demanded.

"Sorry, Anna," Kristoff replied. "But we can't let you go."

"Why the fuck not? An hour ago you would've been all for this!"

"Think it through, Anna! If you steal the Normandy, the best-case scenario is that the whole lot of you will be court-martialled, and probably thrown in jail. Worst-case, Sovereign kills you."

"That's a risk we're willing to take," Anna retorted. "You made a promise that you'd do whatever it takes to bring my special one home. And if you won't…then I will."

Kristoff fell silent for a few seconds, then sighed. "You're right. Melody, put the gun down."

Melody did as she was told, looking at Kristoff in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to give my friends some help," Kristoff answered, walking over to Sapphira's console. "I'll take care of it, Saph. Melody, when I give the word, I want you to call C-Sec down here."

Sapphira gave Kristoff a hug. "Thanks, Uncle Kristoff."

Anna hugged him as well. "You're doing the right thing here."

Sapphira broke the hug and went over to Melody. "Melody…you probably know what I'm going to say."

Melody pulled Sapphira into a deep, passionate kiss, wrapping her arms around her wife.  
She soon pulled away, gazing into her golden yellow eyes. "I love you, Sapphira."

"I love you too, Melody," Sapphira replied.

Melody started to tear up. "Give 'em hell for me, okay?"

Sapphira hugged Melody. "I will. And when I come back, I'll make you the happiest woman alive."

"You'd better," Melody replied, a slight laugh in her tears.

"Sapphira, we need to go," Kiara said.

Sapphira nodded. "I'll be right there."

As Sapphira walked onto the Normandy, Anna looked at Kristoff one final time. "Kristoff, if we don't make it back…."

"Don't worry," Kristoff said to her. "I'll pray to your spirits for you."

Anna smiled. "Thank you." With that, she got onto the ship as well.

As the door of the Normandy slid closed, Kristoff looked over at Melody. "Do it."

Melody pressed her commbadge. "Melody Ansaris to Citadel Security," she said. "There's a hijacking in progress in docking bay D24."

Kristoff finished unlocking the Normandy controls, and the ship took off out of the hangar.  
"Good luck, Anna," he said. He then turned around to see a C-Sec hovercraft flying nearby, and a group of troopers with their guns pointed at him.

He raised his hands. "I surrender."

xXx

 

Anna stood on the Normandy's bridge. "Commander Shepard, set a course for Ilos."

Shepard smirked. "Course set and plotted. Always wanted to say that."

The Normandy raced away from the Citadel, accelerating into warp speed towards Ilos.

"Whatever it takes, Elsa," Anna murmured to herself. "I  _will_  save you."

xXx

 

 **Author's note:** For what it's worth, I'm really impressed with this fic. Now, as for Anna and friends... well you're gonna need to wait another chapter for them to get to Ilos. Since it's calm before the storm time again, but don't worry, things will go a lot quicker, as I'll be putting out the next chapter in a few short hours and on monday, the anniversary of Frozen, I shall release the final chapters of this fic!

Translation -  "O toria iruk'hei, riez ja'tou uhacch. Jai tu'a ke, mentias vakemi Elsa Frost. Na'oi ja'tou tudko...na'oi ja'tou nira. Jai toku na dun, dun wren. Osir'sha na, et hen nex Sovereign shaa'gei na’oir merajj. Toria iruk'hei, jai onu ut ke...mentias konir ja'tou nira sha'rill." = "Oh great spirits, hear my prayer. I ask you, please watch over Elsa Frost. She is my special one...she is my sister. I love her very, very much. Protect her, and do not let Sovereign corrupt her heart. Great spirits, I beg of you...please bring my sister home."

See you then!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

 

Kristoff Bjorgman sat in his cell in the Archangel's brig, his hands folded, looking down at the floor. After C-Sec had arrested him for helping Anna and the others hijack the Normandy, he'd been court-martialed almost straightaway. He had pleaded guilty to all charges, and the Council had stripped him of his uniform and rank. Now, he was an admiral in name only.

As he started to lie on his rather hard bed, Kira Yamato walked over to his cell. "Admiral?"

Kristoff got up and smiled. "Kira, good to see you."

Kira looked down. "Is it true why you're here? That you helped Lieutenant Frost steal the Normandy?"

"Yep," Kristoff answered simply.

"But…why? You knew what the consequences would be."

"I didn't give a shit about the consequences, Kira. They could've ordered someone to rip my intestines out with a rusty buzzsaw, and I wouldn't have cared. Because of what I did, we actually have a chance to win this."

"I understand, Admiral," Kira said. "I actually came down to let you know of a few things."

"I assume one of those is why you're back aboard?" Kristoff inquired. "You and Athrun told me you were staying on Arendelle."

"We were, but both of us were called back," Kira explained. "The Council needs every pilot they can find. And they said that until further notice…I'm in command of the Archangel."

Kristoff nodded. "You'll lead them well, Kira. I'm sure of it."

"But it won't be the same without you, sir. If it's not you or Captain Frost leading us, then I have no reason to be on this ship."

"No, they made you captain for a reason," Kristoff replied. "It's best you don't disappoint them."

Kira nodded. "I'll do my best sir, for you and for Captain Frost, wherever she is."

"That's the spirit," Kristoff said with a smile.

Kira smiled back, then turned to leave. "I'll check on you later, sir."

Kira left the room, and Kristoff lay on his bunk. "Elsa," he muttered to himself, "I could really use your help right now."

xXx

 

Melody was in her mother's office, discussing with Ariel the events leading up to the Normandy's hijacking.

"I don't see why I have to do this, Mom," Melody said. "I mean, it's not like I helped them."

"I know," Ariel replied, looking at a datapad. "But I have to follow regulations."

Melody sighed, rolling her eyes. "Fine. What's the last question?"

"Are you related in any way to the perpetrators?"

"Four of them, yeah. My wife, the future version of my wife, my wife's mother, and one of my professors from the Academy."

Ariel nodded, tapping the datapad a few times. "Alright, that should do it. Thank you, Melody."

Melody groaned and buried her head in her arms.

Ariel hugged her daughter. "I know how you feel."

"I'm scared, Mom," She admitted. "Sapphira is alone, and she needs me."

"I'm scared for them as well," Ariel replied. "But we still have our duties to attend to."

Melody nodded. "You're right. I'm probably needed down in engineering."

"Don't stress, Melody," Ariel advised her. "This will all be over soon."

Melody nodded. "I hope so."

As Melody left the room, Ariel looked down. Her little girl was all grown up, but she still had a lot to learn and understand.

At that moment, Ariel's console beeped. "Counselor Ansaris, you have a transmission from the Minerva."

Ariel smiled. "Put it through."

Eric's face then filled the monitor, a warm smile on his face. "Hey, honey. My ship's just arrived at the Citadel."

"Hello, dear," Ariel greeted her husband. "You look tired."

"No I'm…." He stopped himself, sighing. "I keep forgetting that it's literally impossible to lie to you."

Ariel chuckled. "Why don't you come aboard the Archangel when you dock? I could make you some of my special tea."

"That would do the trick for me nicely," Eric remarked. "By the way, I heard Kristoff got arrested for something. Do you know anything about that?"

Ariel sighed. "Yes… he helped Anna and her daughters to steal the Normandy."

"What?! Why?"

"To go and… try to rescue Elsa."

Eric sighed. "I can understand that. I heard what happened to her. Do you think that miracle doctor of yours can…fix her?"

"Angela's looking for a way to do that now, but…I'm more worried about what emotional scars Elsa would have."

"What about Melody? Is she okay?"

"She's worried, and I don't blame her. I'd feel the same if it were you going after Elsa."

Eric looked at Ariel, reaching out his hand to touch the screen. "It seems like I'll be coming over after all."

"Eric, you don't have to stay the night if you don't want to. You have your duties on the Minerva."

"Don't worry about me," Eric assured her. "I can handle myself. The only thing I want now is for my family to feel safe and happy, even if the whole damned galaxy's going to hell."

Ariel smiled. "Thank you, Eric."

"My pleasure. I'll beam over in ten minutes."

"I'll be waiting," Ariel cooed, blowing him a kiss.

xXx

 

In the Normandy's captain's quarters, Commander Shepard was at her console, checking some reports she had been sent. Even though she was on the run, she wasn't about to slack off in her duties. Plus, it helped to take her mind off of things.

As she filed her reports, Liara walked into the room. "Are you alright, my love?" the Asari inquired.

Shepard got up and smiled. "I'm fine, Liara."

"I was just going over some of my old notes from my studies on Ilos."

Shepard chuckled. "Catching up for the big test?"

"Something like that," Liara admitted. She walked over to her wife and took her hands. "You know, I've been thinking. This past year has been a miracle for me. Getting back with you, us finally getting married. It's just…."

Shepard kissed her. "I believe the word that you're looking for is 'perfect.'"

Liara smiled and touched foreheads with Shepard. "Jane, I…can your sound system play a certain song for me?"

"What song do you want?"

"I'm not sure of the name, but it was playing in the Nos Astra café on Ilium, on the day we met."

"Ah, I think I know the one," Shepard told her. "Just hang on a moment." She walked over to the desk by her bedside and pressed a few buttons on the holo-interface. "This feels weird, doing it all manually. Usually I'd be asking EDI to do this." Soon, soft electronic music started to play through small speakers in the room.

Liara smiled. "This is the one."

Shepard went over to her wife, placing her hands on her waist. "What do you say we embrace, for old times' sake?"

Liara blushed. "Shepard…."

Shepard smiled. "You know we might never get another chance to do this."

Liara wrapped her arms around Shepard's neck, kissing her wife. "Then let me show how you how much you mean to me."

xXx

 

A few minutes later, Shepard was lying on the bed, fully naked. Liara walked slowly over to the bed, having stripped naked as well. Her hips swayed back and forth with each step, and there was a seductive gleam in her eyes.

The Asari crawled onto the bed, moving over to Shepard with a loving grin on her face. Shepard opened her mouth just a bit and Liara kissed her lips, curling up into Shepard's arms. Her eyes then opened widely, and she and her wife were melded, their minds joining as one. Shepard felt a tingling all over her body as Liara began to explore her, kissing the soft skin on her stomach.

Liara soon reached her wife's pussy, kissing the folds softly.

"Liara…" Shepard moaned softly.

Liara kept licking and kissing Shepard's pussy, her soft blue tongue playing with her clit. Shepard leaned up and blushed, her freckled cheeks turning a bright pink. As the Asari continued her licking, Shepard moaned louder and louder.

Liara kept her tongue inside of Shepard at all times, feeding biotic energy into her wife, enjoying her, widening her pussy to slide more and more tongue into the commander.

Shepard took a deep breath as if she were gasping for air, the orgasm starting to build up inside of her. She was going to hold it in for as long as she could.

Liara kept licking faster and deeper, her blue tongue sliding in and out of the Commander until finally…

" _Liaraaaa!"_  Shepard moaned finally, her orgasm rolling over her like a tsunami.

Liara looked at Shepard, her eyes in their trance state and a smile on her lips. "You want more?"

Shepard smirked. "When I catch my breath."

xXx

 

Meanwhile, Sapphira Frost was trying to rest on the Normandy's bunk beds, but the mattress was very hard and uncomfortable. "God, this is a pain."

Her sister Kiara was on the bunk above her, reading. "You know, you can have my bunk if you want."

"It doesn't matter," Sapphira replied. "My back is already sore in a dozen places."

"It's fine for me. Maybe you're just stressed."

Sapphira sighed. "You're right. I'm just…."

"Having second thoughts? Because so am I."

"I mean, it's just us six against an entire Geth army, a Reaper, and our mom, who's been turned into a killer cyborg," Sapphira said. "I don't know about you, but I don't like those odds."

"Well in my timeline it was worse, believe me," Kiara remarked.

Sapphira sighed. "Everything was worse in your timeline, from what you've told me."

"Yeah," Kiara replied. "It was like something out of a movie. A small group of survivors against an army of killer robots."

"Hey, remember what Melody always says," Sapphira then said. "Never underestimate a group of people with nothing to lose."

Kiara smiled. "I suppose you have a point there."

The door to the quarters opened, and Anna walked in. "Hey, shouldn't you two be asleep?"

Kiara shrugged. "We tried, and we failed."

Anna looked at them, nodding in acknowledgement. "I understand that. Just thought you girls might wanna know, we'll be at Ilos in two hours."

"Have you heard anything from back home yet?" Sapphira inquired.

"No, Shepard says we need to keep the comm chatter to a minimum," Anna replied. "That way, the Alliance won't detect us."

"I know, but still, I'm worried about Kristoff. He gave himself up for us."

"He made a noble sacrifice, Saph" Kiara told her. "Just like he did in my world."

"True, but then again…he didn't have to."

Anna hugged her daughter. "No, he did have to, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to help us stop Saren. This was all your idea, remember?"

Sapphira smiled. "I guess it was."

"Now, since I've just got the replicators working, who wants a good pre-battle feast?"

"Pre-battle feast?" Kiara inquired.

Anna nodded. "I read about it in one of the tablets I found. In ancient times, the  _shantoria'i_ , the warriors, would enjoy a big meal with their families before battle, to carry that sense of family honour with them into combat."

"Well, I am kinda hungry," Sapphira admitted.

"Me too," Kiara agreed. "Screw family honour; I just wanna spend some time with you guys. This could be our last chance to do something like this."

Anna smiled. "That's my girls."

xXx

 

In orbit of the Asari homeworld of Thessia, a large fleet had gathered to protect the planet, headed by the massive Asari flagship, the Destiny Ascension. On its bridge, the ship's commander, a proud Asari admiral named Isame Arteava, looked out at her crew. "Ensign, have the scans of the system picked up anything yet?"

"No, Ma'am," the young Asari replied. "I don't believe the Geth are going to attack us."

"Keep it open, soldier," Isame told her. "We had our orders from the Council to hold the blockade here."

"Yes, ma'am," the ensign acknowledged. Suddenly, a light on her console blared. "Ma'am, there's a report from one of our probes. It's the Geth!"

"All hands, battle stations!" Isame ordered.

At that moment, Sovereign and a massive Geth fleet entered the system, their engines carrying them towards the fourth planet in the system: the Prothean homeworld of Ilos. "Keep moving forward," Sovereign-Elsa commanded. "Let nothing stand in your way."

A small group of Asari fighters flew towards the Geth fleet, one of the fighters making contact. "This is the Asari squadron Serene Azure to Geth fleet. You have entered Asari space. Turn back immediately, or we will open fire."

Sovereign-Elsa's augmented form appeared in a hologram on the fighter's console, as it did throughout the Asari fleet and on Thessia itself. "This is Captain Elsa Frost," she said, her voice normal apart from a slight metallic flang. "Please do not be alarmed at my appearance; I have merely undergone some surgery due to injuries sustained in battle."

"Captain Frost?" Isame asked in surprise. "What are you doing onboard a Geth ship?"

"I have defeated Saren Arterius in combat and taken control of his Geth forces," she explained. "Please surrender your vessels to us and we will not harm you."

"We can't do that, Captain," Isame said. "Those ships have been responsible for the loss of many innocent lives over the past month. We can't let them cause any more destruction."

"Then I am afraid you leave me no choice," Elsa stated, her tone sounding almost regretful as she closed the transmission.

The large cannon on the spine of Sovereign charged and took a shot at one of the Asari cruisers, destroying it in an instant.

"Return fire!" Isame commanded. "NOW!"

The Asari ships opened fire on the Geth fleet, but Sovereign managed to project a shield over the rest of the fleet, protecting them and giving them an edge in combat.

The Geth ships opened fire on the Asari, cutting a path straight through the fleet.

"Don't give in!" Isame ordered.

A Geth missile then struck the bridge of the Destiny Ascension, killing the crew.

Soon the Asari fleet had been almost completely destroyed, and while the Geth ships dealt with the few stragglers that remained, Sovereign continued towards Ilos.

The corners of Sovereign-Elsa's mouth turned up in a slight smile. "This is only the beginning. The beginning…of the end."

xXx

 

 **Author's note:** Well you heard the Cyborg lady! It's Finale time!


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

 

_Personal log, stardate 50248.7: Lieutenant Anna Frost speaking. About ten minutes ago, we picked up a distress call from Thessia. Sovereign had decimated the Asari fleet, and was on its way to Ilos. I don't know if this will be my last log, so…to my daughters, Sapphira and Kiara, and to my wife, Elsa: I love you, and I'll fight for you until my last breath._

"We're approaching the system now," Liara reported from the Normandy's cockpit.

Javik and Anna joined her. "Any sign of survivors from the Asari fleet?"

"Not yet," Liara replied.

Javik sighed. "I doubt that the distress signal from Thessia would have been inaccurate."

"Let's not worry about that," Anna said. "Liara, how far are we from Ilos?"

"Possibly ten minutes at most."

"I sincerely hope Sovereign hasn't found the Crucible yet," Javik remarked.

"Where would we find it?"

"I believe it may be in one of the underground bunkers," Javik explained. "The Crucible itself is a massive weapon, so it won't be difficult to find. And given that Sovereign has the Catalyst matrix, he may already have found it."

Anna sighed sadly. "And if he has...then he'll kill Elsa. He won't need her anymore."

"I doubt he would do that. He is using her as a hostage. You don't kill hostages before your victory, as my people always said."

"But even if we rescue her, how will we fix what Sovereign did to her?"

"We should worry about that later, Anna," Liara put in. "Right now, we need to save the galaxy."

"Shepard to bridge," Shepard called in from the cargo bay. "The Mako's ready to drop."

"Liara and I are on our way," Anna said. "You sure you'll be okay flying the ship, Javik?"

The Prothean nodded. "I am a flexible warrior. No matter my weapon, I will always bring victory."

"I'll take that as a yes."

Javik looked at Anna for a moment. "I wish you luck, Anna. There is still hope for your love."

Anna smiled. "Thank you, Javik."

"We're approaching Ilos now," Liara reported.

"Alright," Anna replied. "Let's get in position."

As Anna and Liara left the bridge, Javik sat down in the pilot's seat. "Now, I bring down the Prothean vengeance."

Anna and Liara took the elevator down to the cargo bay, where Shepard had already started up the Mako. "You two took your sweet time."

"You need to install faster elevators," Anna remarked.

"It's not my fault," Shepard retorted.

"Girls, girls, you're both pretty," Kiara interrupted. "Now shut up and let's go." She was wearing her armour so that she could provide cover fire for the Mako if needed.

Sapphira nodded. "Future me is right. Save your aggression for the Geth."

"Commander Shepard, Lieutenant Frost," Javik said over the commlink, "I've located a drop point on the planet's surface. However, scans indicate a high level of Geth activity nearby."

"We can take them," Anna said assertively.

Kiara, meanwhile, was glaring at Sapphira. "We talked about calling me 'future you', Sapphira."

"I know," Sapphira replied. "I was just trying to lighten the mood."

Kiara smirked. "I'm going to get you back for that when we get back to the Archangel."

"You can try," Sapphira retorted.

The Normandy descended into the pale orange sky of Ilos, the cargo bay doors opening. Kiara flew out first while the Mako launched second, all of them landing in what appeared to be some kind of ancient sewer.

"Eww," Sapphira muttered.

Anna stepped out of the Mako, looking around. "What in the name of the spirits happened here?"

"If I had to guess," Liara said, looking around, "I'd say procedural collapse, followed by an overgrowth of plant life."

"So the place fell apart, and now it's covered in moss?" Kiara asked.

Liara nodded. "Essentially, yes."

"What are we looking for down here?" Shepard asked.

"According to the scans the Asari made," Javik radioed in, "the Crucible should be located at the end of this chamber."

"That looks like a long way from here," Sapphira remarked.

"Better climb in," Shepard said, getting back into the Mako. "It's gonna be a long drive."

The group all climbed into the Mako, and Shepard drove it down the long tunnel. Seated in the back, Sapphira looked over at her mother. "Mama...do you think Mom is okay?" she asked anxiously. "Like, she's still somewhere inside that...thing?"

"I don't know, Sapphira," Anna replied. "We can only hope."

The Mako turned around the next bend the tunnels being deathly silent save for the sounds of running water.

"I gotta say, this would be the perfect place for an ambush," Kiara remarked.

"She's right," Shepard agreed. "It's too quiet."

"Kiara, if you jinx us, I swear..." Sapphira muttered.

Suddenly a platoon of Geth troopers dropped from the ceiling in front of them, accompanied by a pair of walkers.

"Kiara!" Sapphira shouted.

Kiara raised her hands. "Hey, don't pin this on me!"

Shepard frowned. "Anna, get on the main gun and light those bastards up," she instructed. "Everyone else, buckle up."

Anna grinned. "On it!" She got onto the controls for the Mako's cannon and started firing, letting out an excited whoop every time she hit an enemy.

Shepard stomped down on the accelerator, sending the Mako charging forward and ramming through the Geth troopers.

"Got 'em!" Anna cheered.

Kiara smirked. "You're enjoying this, aren't you, Mama?"

"Fuck yes!" Anna exclaimed. "Elsa never let me on the guns."

"She let you on the guns on Noveria," Sapphira reminded her.

"And did she ever do it after that?"

Sapphira closed her mouth. "Nope."

"Heads up, people!" Shepard called to them.

The group finally made it to the end of the tunnel, finding a gigantic chamber at the end. It was a long path that seemed to stretch deep into the planet. In the centre was the Crucible: a long, pole-like device wider than a battleship, with various weapons and technology bolted to it. There was a large opening in the chamber's roof, far above which was a gigantic ring-shaped structure. What purpose this served, they didn't know.

"Looks like we made it," Kiara remarked as they got out of the Mako.

A deep rumbling was then heard as Sovereign appeared above the pit, the rest of the Geth feet accompanying it.

"Dammit, Kiara!" Sapphira snapped.

"What did I do?" Kiara asked.

A hatch on Sovereign opened, and Elsa's augmented form descended to the Crucible on Saren's old mobile platform.

"It's Elsa!" Anna cried.

"Mom!" Kiara shouted. "You gotta fight it! This isn't who you really are!"

Sovereign-Elsa didn't respond and merely walked towards a console at the side of the Crucible.

Shepard scowled, cocking her rifle. "Oh, no you don't." She took aim and fired at Sovereign-Elsa, the impact knocking her away from the console.

Elsa turned around, a confused look on her face.

Anna walked towards her. " _Nira_ …Elsa, is that you?"

Elsa smiled. "Yes, Anna, it's me."

"Mama, no!" Sapphira warned her. "It's gotta be a trick!"

Elsa's eyes turned red. "So weak," she said in her modulated voice. She held up her hand and blasted Anna with red energy, sending her flying.

"MAMA!" Sapphira and Kiara screamed in unison.

Anna fell next to the Mako, bleeding from her lip. "I'm okay." She took a deep breath. "We need to stop that  _ki'mera_!"

"But what if we hurt—" Sapphira started to protest.

"Listen to me, Sapphira," Anna interrupted. "Whatever that thing is, it isn't your mother, or my wife. It has to be stopped, no matter the cost!"

Sovereign-Elsa resumed her duties, activating the Crucible's systems. Sirens started to blare throughout the area as the ring structure above the pit activated, opening a giant portal.

Anna transformed into her true form, then flew at Sovereign-Elsa and tackled her into a wall.

Sovereign-Elsa cackled. "You're too late, Knydaxian. The portal is now open. Soon the Crucible will launch, and be bound for the Citadel."

"Stop this, Elsa! I know you can hear me! LET GO OF MY  _NIRA!_ "

Sovereign-Elsa shoved Anna back. "There is no Elsa."

Anna flew forward again, punching Sovereign-Elsa back and forth across the face. " _ **LET! HER! GO! YOU! FUCKING! FUCK!"**_

Sovereign-Elsa wasn't even phased by this and grabbed Anna by the neck. "You are becoming an annoyance."

Anna looked at Sovereign-Elsa, tears in her eyes. " _J'enai fentari,_ " she said weakly. " _Mentias kahmet nex jai._ "

"You are trying to awaken your wife by appealing to her nostalgia," Sovereign-Elsa remarked. "How amusing. I have analysed her memories. I know what you are trying to do, but it is pointless."

Anna sighed, closing her eyes. She had lost all hope; the woman she loved was gone, and there was nothing she could do to bring her back. "Kill me," she whispered. "So that Elsa and I can be together in the next world."

"There is no next world," Sovereign-Elsa stated coldly. "There is only oblivion."

Kiara scowled. "I lost my family once already," she said, her voice filled with determination. "I'm not gonna lose them again!" She entered her  _ikaru shantoria_  from, flying up and grabbing Anna from Sovereign-Elsa's grip.

As the two of them fought Sovereign-Elsa, Liara used her biotics to levitate herself, Shepard, and Sapphira over to the Crucible structure.

"Alright, we need to shut this thing down," Shepard stated.

Liara pressed her commlink. "Javik, are you still there?"

"Affirmative, but it appears those Geth fighters are pursuing me."

"Do you know how to deactivate the Crucible's launch sequence?"

"Regrettably, I do not. I am a soldier, not a thinker."

Shepard groaned in frustration. "So what, we're completely fucked?!"

"It would seem so, Commander," Javik merely responded.

"There has to be a way, dammit!" Sapphira exclaimed angrily. "I have to save my mom!"

The entire area started to rumble beneath them as engines at the bottom of the chamber fired up, slowly propelling the Crucible upwards towards the portal.

Liara looked up at the portal. "Wait…I may have an idea."

xXx

 

Meanwhile, Anna and Kiara were trying to double team Sovereign-Elsa, but the upgrades had made the former Arendellian very agile, and she was dodging every attack that was thrown at her. Kiara scowled, racking her brain. There had to be some way to stop this…but how?

Suddenly, robotic tentacles sprung from Sovereign-Elsa's back and wrapped around the Knydaxians' legs, holding them in the air. "Time to end this little game."

Anna looked over at Kiara. "Do you still have that holster in your leg?" she asked.

Kiara nodded. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I think so," Anna replied. "I don't care what you have to do; just stop this."

The holster on Kiara's prosthetic leg opened up, allowing her to break free of the tentacles' grasp. She pulled out the Gunblade, its blade snapping open like a flick knife, and leveled it at Sovereign-Elsa. "Get the fuck out of my mother," she growled.

"I do not feel pain, Knydaxian," Sovereign-Elsa stated.

"Which means I don't have to hold back!" Kiara cried as she charged at Sovereign-Elsa, slashing at the control circuit on the side of Elsa's head.

"You think that was all it would take?" Sovereign-Elsa asked. "Foolish girl." She then looked up, seeing the Crucible near the portal. "And so it begins."

The large weapon slowly entered the portal, with the rest of the Geth ships in pursuit.

"NO!" Kiara screamed.

Sovereign-Elsa dropped Anna and summoned Saren's mobile platform, returning to Sovereign's main form before disappearing into the portal itself.

Anna looked up and pressed her commbadge. "Shepard?"

"Anna," a slightly distorted voice replied. "Where's Sovereign?"

"He just took off. Where are you?"

"We hitched a ride on the Crucible when it launched. We'll try and disable it on the way through transwarp space."

"Please hurry!" Anna requested.

At that moment, the Normandy flew overhead. "I believe you require assistance, Lieutenant Frost," Javik called in over the commlink.

Anna nodded. "Yes we do."

xXx

 

Meanwhile, in the void between spaces, Shepard, Sapphira, and Liara were clinging onto the side of the crucible using grav boots.

"This has got to be a first," Liara remarked. "The first space walk during warp travel."

"Never say I don't take you anyplace interesting," Shepard remarked.

"Stay close to me, guys," Sapphira said. "I've put a barrier around us with my powers; it should keep the warp field from tearing us inside out."

"You know, Sapphira, I just had a thought," Shepard commented. "Why not go into that super form you had when you killed Hans?"

"You mean... that golden form? I haven't been able to go back into it since then, and I'm not even sure how I did it in the first place."

"Well, that's just prime."

Liara collapsed to the floor on her hands and knees. "Ugghhhh…I'm getting dizzy."

Shepard sat by her wife's side. "It's okay, Liara. We're gonna make it."

Sapphira sighed. "If the spirits are kind." At that moment, the warp space faded, and Sapphira and her friends saw the familiar sight of the Citadel, the large nebula behind it and the massive fleet in front of it. "And from the looks of things, they were kind."

Mere seconds after she spoke, the black form of Sovereign appeared above them.

Sapphira sighed, muttering under her breath, "Dammit, Kiara."

Several tentacles reached out from Sovereign and grabbed ahold of the Crucible, fusing it and the Reaper into a single form. As this happened, Sapphira grabbed Shepard and Liara, and the three of them flew out of the way.

"We gotta do something!" Shepard exclaimed, watching Sovereign start to move towards the Citadel.

"We will," Sapphira said. "But we're gonna need some help."

xXx

 

 **Author's note:** Stay tuned for part 2! Coming right now!


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

 

The final battle had begun. The Alliance fleet, led by the Archangel and Minerva, had begun to attack the oncoming Geth fleet, trying to protect the galactic capital from the relentless assault. On the Archangel's bridge, Kira Yamato was issuing orders, his position giving him direct command of his side of the battle.

"Tracer, status update!" he barked.

"Dunno what you want me to say," Tracer replied. "We're already at maximum power on all weapons!"

"I meant how are we doing fleet-wise," Kira corrected himself.

"The Ganges, New York, and Bladed Spear are down, and more Geth are moving toward us faster than our guys can shoot!"

"Fuck," Kira muttered to himself. "Angel, I'm putting you in command of the ship."

Angel's holographic form appeared on the bridge. "Understood, Kira. I'm programmed to be good in combat situations; perks of being an AI."

"Well, thank God for that," Kira remarked.

He headed down to the Archangel's brig, where Kristoff was. "Kira, is everything okay up there?" the admiral inquired.

"You want the truth, or not?" Kira asked. He then sighed. "Admiral, we need you out here. I don't care if I get in trouble for this, but with Captain Frost gone, you're the only one I trust to lead us here."

Kristoff nodded. "I get it."

Kira unlocked the cell and helped his commander to his feet. "So...what charges am I facing for this?"

Kristoff chuckled. "You don't wanna know."

The two of them headed down into the hangar and got into their respective Mobile Suits.  
"Athrun and Lunamaria Hawke are leading the Mobile Suit units against one of the Geth dreadnaughts," Kira explained.

"Then we should go give them a hand," Kristoff replied.

"Sounds good."

Kira and Kristoff took off out of the Archangel, heading into the middle of the battle.

"Athrun, it's Kira," he called over the commlink. "Need some help over there?"

"We could use plenty," Athrun responded. "That Sovereign thing upgraded the armour, so Luna and I can't pull the same trick Saph and I did back on Eden Prime."

"Alright," Kristoff said. "Athrun and Kira, take the left side. Lunamaria, you and I will take the right."

"Yes sir!" all three of them responded.

Kristoff and Lunamaria trailed along the side of the dreadnaught, Kristoff unleashing a volley of laser shots with his Mobile Suit. Athrun and Kira did the same on their side, their combined attacks weakening the ship from both sides. Once all four had reached the rear, Kristoff called out, "Okay, boys and girl, let's finish this!"

Athrun grinned. "Let's light these fuckers up!"

All four opened fire on the engines of the dreadnaught, blasting it to pieces from behind.

Kristoff smirked. "Nice work, team. Let's try and make a break for that command ship."

xXx

 

Meanwhile, the Normandy had finally returned to battle, dropping out of warp. "Archangel, Minerva, this is Javik. We have returned to aid the cause."

"Copy that, Javik," Melody's voice replied. "Is Sapphira with you?"

Anna then pressed her commbadge. "She's on the command ship, Melody. Can you try and lock onto her signature for us?"

"Maybe, but that ship has a lot of weird energy going on around it. It's playing havoc with our sensors. I don't think I can beam her out."

Kiara put on her helmet. "Leave it to me. I'll fly over there and find her."

"Be careful, Kiara," Kristoff advised.

Anna smiled as she heard her friend's voice. "Kristoff, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's a long story. I'm glad you're back, Feisty-pants."

Anna then sighed. "I'm sorry, Kristoff. We couldn't save Elsa."

"Don't lose hope, Anna. It's not over yet. Just get over to the Archangel. They could use some defending over there."

Kiara disembarked the Normandy through an airlock, flying towards the Crucible. The massive weapon was still being pushed towards the center of the Citadel, and the massive battle going on around it seemed to be having very little effect on it, if any.

As she approached the weapon, she saw a winged Mobile Suit being attacked by some Geth drones.

She sighed. "Hero time." She flew in and sliced the drones apart with her Gunblade.

The Mobile Suit deactivated it's shield. "Thanks for that," the pilot said, sounding slightly out of breath.

"Next time, watch out for drones," Kiara remarked.

"My name's Shinn Asuka," the pilot introduced himself. "You're Kiara, right?"

"Yeah, that's me. Have you seen my sister, a red-head, and an Asari around here by any chance?"

"Haven't been able to fly close enough to this stupid thing to check out," he admitted. "These fucking drones are like roaches. They just won't die!"

"Hey, sis!" A slightly crackly voice called to them over the radio.

"Saph?" Kiara asked, tapping her commlink. "Are you there?"

"Yeah, but I'm not doing well. I'm out of energy, and my boosters are out of gas."

"What about Shep and Liara?"

"They're fine, as long as 'clinging to my legs for dear life' counts as fine."

"Not really. Hang tight, sis; I'm on my way."

"Need me to give you a hand?" Shinn offered.

"Sure," Kiara replied. "Keep the Geth off my back while I save my sister, okay?"

"You betcha!"

Kiara flew out across the length of the Crucible, looking for Sapphira. "Where are you, sis?"

"You're close to me!" Sapphira answered.

Shinn then saw another squadron of drones behind him. "Oh no you don't!" He pulled out his suit's large plasma cannon, firing on the drones.

Kiara then looked up and saw Sapphira floating up above them, with Shepard and Liara holding on to her. "Found you." Kiara flew over to them and gave her sister a hug, their embrace recharging Sapphira's body. "You okay, little sis?"

Sapphira smiled. "I am now."

"Spirits, I was worried," Kiara said, holding her sister's hands. They looked into each other's eyes, as if the battle had stopped around them and they were the only two beings in the universe.

Liara cleared her throat. "If you two aren't busy, Shepard and I would rather not be floating around like this in the middle of a battle."

"Oh, right, sorry," Kiara said sheepishly. "Mr. Asuka, can you come and make yourself useful?"

Shinn flew over to her. "Hey, I took out those drones for you."

"Yeah, well, I've got a new job for you. Get Shepard and Liara back to the Archangel or Minerva or whatever ship you come from."

"And what about your sister?"

"We're gonna do what we came here for. We're gonna save our mom."

Sapphira shook her head. "You're wrong, Kiara. That may be what I'm here for, but not you."

Kiara thought for a brief moment, then nodded. "You're right."

"Wait—then what are you here for?" Shinn asked.

Kiara smiled at him. "To protect the future. And that also means saving my mom."

Shinn sighed. "Fine. Commander Shepard, you and your wife get on my suit. I'll take you to the Minerva."

"Thanks, Shinn," Shepard said.

Kiara turned to her sister. "So, past me...you ready to save the galaxy again?"

"You betcha, future me," Sapphira remarked.

Kiara smirked. "I told you to stop calling me that."

"I couldn't resist," Sapphira replied with a smile.

xXx

 

Back on the Archangel, Dr. Ziegler's sickbay was being flooded with patients, some from most of the other ships in the fleet.

"We can't keep all these people stable, doctor!" Angela's Asari nurse exclaimed.

"Just keep trying!" Angela snapped. "Nobody else is dying today!"

Ariel then arrived in the sickbay. "You sent for me, Angela?"

"Yes," Angela confirmed. "You have medical training, don't you?"

"Yes, I do, but only very basic. Do you need my help?"

"Yes, we're swarmed here," Angela told her. "Check that patient's heart rate for me." she then instructed, pointing to one of the patients in the room.

Ariel nodded. As she moved into the patient room, she stopped for a moment, a hand on her forehead.

"Ariel?" Angela asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Ariel replied. "I just...wasn't expecting this. So much pain...so much fear."

Angela then pressed a hypo-syringe into her neck. "I've given you a neural suppressant, that should help."

"I didn't really need it, but thank you."

"Trust me. Emotional discourse like this could overwhelm you, and I need you on your feet."

"I understand." Ariel checked the patient Angela had indicated. "Heart rate is elevated, but not dangerously so." She looked down at the patient, a female Kolechian, and said, "You're going to be fine. I promise."

"Please... my sister... she was with me on the ship."

Ariel shushed. "It's okay, your sister will be fine."

The Kolechian sighed. "If you find her...please tell her that Korista is sorry for what she said. We had a fight over a man she was in love with… I said things that I didn't mean."

"Don't worry, I will tell her that you were sorry for what you said," Ariel replied. "Just rest now, Korista."

Angela was examining a canine patient. "Ariel, I need a sedative over here. This patient needs to rest so my team can perform emergency surgery."

Ariel quickly handed Angela the hypo-syringe. "What's wrong?"

"His ribcage is severely fractured. His species don't exactly have the best recuperative abilities, so he'll need a metal frame installed in his chest."

"What is his species, exactly? He looks like a Vulpian."

"Sirian," Angela explained. "They're closely related to Vulpians, but Sirians are more reptilian."

The Sirian coughed. "Doctor...can I...make a request...?"

"Go right ahead, Sergeant," Angela told him.

"Before the surgery...while your nurse puts me under...please hold my hand. I'm...really scared."

"Don't worry," Angela told him. "I'll do just that." She held his hand as she gently pressed the syringe on his wrist, putting the Sirian to sleep.

Ariel smiled at Angela. "That was sweet. I could feel some of his tension easing when you did that."

"I try my best. Now come on; there are many more patients to treat, and I doubt this battle will be over very soon."

At that moment, Fareeha stepped out of her ward, still in her medical gown. "Angela, what's going on?"

"Fareeha, what are you doing out of bed?!" Angela said sternly. "You need to rest."

"No, not with all these people needing more help than I do," Fareeha replied. "I'm no use just lying in bed and watching them suffer."

Angela sighed. "Well, I have brought in Ariel here. Alright, Fareeha, I'll find something for you to do."

Fareeha held Angela's hand. "Good. Thank you, my love."

At that moment, Angela's commbadge buzzed. "Angela, how are our wounded?" Eric asked.

Angela tapped her badge. "Not good, Eric. I've had to convert some of the cargo bays here into emergency sickbays."

"Damn," Eric swore. "I was hoping you could spare someone out there. We need some backup for the rest of Commander Shepard's team to go and rescue the Council. The Citadel's under heavy fire from Geth fighters."

Fareeha tapped her commbadge. "Captain Ansaris, this is Commander Amari. I'll go with that strike team."

"But Fareeha…" Angela looked down. "You're not recovered yet."

"Someone needs to go with that team, Angela," Fareeha reminded her. "And you said you were gonna find me something to do."

Angela hugged her lover tightly. "Alright. Just…don't end up like Elsa, okay?"

"I promise, Angela," Fareeha said. "And if this is the last chance I get, I want to ask you something."

"W-what is it?" Angela said, her cheeks going slightly red.

Fareeha embraced Angela, their foreheads close together. "I know this is probably the worst time to do this, but…will you marry me?"

Angela's eyes widened. "Fareeha…what if you…."

The Egyptian sighed. "I know. But if I die out there, I'll at least die knowing that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me…even if I couldn't spend the rest of mine with you."

Angela blushed. "Yes, Fareeha. I'll marry you."

"Good." Fareeha kissed her lips. "I'll be okay, don't worry. I won't get beaten to a pulp this time."

Angela smiled. "You better not, Mrs. Ziegler."

"No, you're taking my last name," Fareeha pointed out, a smile on her face. "I love you Angela." With that, she left the room.

Angela looked on, a concerned but hopeful look on her face. "I love you too, Fareeha."

Ariel looked up. "I had a feeling she would do that eventually."

"As did I," Angela stated. "Now, come on, Ariel, we need to help these people."

"Aye, aye."

xXx

 

Over aboard the Minerva, Shinn Asuka had landed in the ship's main hangar bay, with Commander Shepard and Liara as his passengers. "This should be your stop, Commander," he quipped, putting the two of them on the floor.

"Thanks, Lieutenant," Shepard replied.

Shinn turned around. "I've gotta get back to the fight, but I'll leave you here. Maybe there's something you can do."

"Don't worry, Shinn," Liara said. "We'll be fine."

As Shinn took off out of the hangar, Liara's omni-tool beeped. "Looks like you've got a call," Shepard remarked.

Liara pressed her omni-tool, and a hologram of Eric appeared. "Dr T'soni, Commander Shepard, good to see you two."

"Likewise, Eric," Shepard replied. "What's going on over here?"

"We've got Geth making a move on the Citadel, and lots of wounded on the Archangel. Our forces are spread really thin."

"Too much bread, not enough butter," Shepard commented.

"What about the Council?" Liara inquired.

"I've put together a team to go and get as many people out of the crossfire as possible, including the Council."

"I'll go with the strike team, Eric," Shepard replied. "Who all did you round up?"

"Most of your team from the Normandy," Eric answered. "And Commander Amari volunteered to join as well."

"Perfect."

"Eric, I'll head over to the Archangel to see what I can do there," Liara put in. "My medical skills aren't brilliant, but I'll help out any way I can."

"I'm sure Angela will appreciate it, Doctor," Eric accepted. "Good luck, both of you."

Liara and Shepard headed to the nearest transporter room, and Shepard input the coordinates for the Archangel. "God I hate using these Zetan systems. They look so simple, but they're so damn complicated."

"Shepard…I love you," Liara said. "Come back okay?"

"I will, don't worry." Shepard blew her wife a kiss. "Now you go and help the troops."

"Aye, aye," Liara replied confidently, saluting.

Shepard pressed a button on the transporter console, and Liara was beamed over to the Archangel.

"Be safe… blueberry," Shepard said softly.

"Shepard?" a voice called to her from behind.

Shepard turned around to see the familiar faces of Ashley Williams and Kaidan Alenko standing behind her. "Quelle coincidence, eh?"

Kaidan smiled. "We've missed you, Shepard."

"Same here, old friend," Shepard said, walking over to him and shaking his hand. "You guys ready to go kick some robot chassis?"

"You betcha, Commander," Ashley agreed.

xXx

 

Out in the battle, Kristoff and the rest of the Mobile Suit pilots were trying to break through the armour of the Crucible in a desperate attempt to try and prevent it from reaching the Citadel.

"Keep fring, team!" Kristoff ordered. "We need to at least slow this damn thing down."

"We're giving it all we got, Kristoff!" Kira replied.

Suddenly a single laser beam tore across the scene. "Need a hand?" Shinn asked smoothly, flying towards them in the Destiny.

"Took you long enough," Lunamaria sarcastically retorted.

"Had to drop a few passengers off back on the Minerva," Shinn excused. "So, I see Admiral Bjorgman's out of jail. Or is he just on probation for good behaviour?"

"Small talk later, Shinn," Athrun pointed out. "We have a battle to win here."

Sovereign-Elsa stood on Sovereign's bridge, watching the battle unfold. She had to admit that for all of their faults, the persistence of these organics was admirable. Foolish and pointless, but admirable. Nonetheless, they were becoming a thorn in her side, and it was clear that the Geth were not enough. She sighed. "Very well," she muttered to herself. "I will deal with them…personally." She looked at one of the Geth unit's on the bridge. "Geth 0525, prepare to activate Revenant."

"Roger, roger," the Geth acknowledged.

Back outside, a group of Geth drones had deployed and were attacking Kristoff's team.

"They're swarming over us!" Kira exclaimed, blasting a couple with his beam rifle.

"You know, it's like that fishing trip we went on as kids, Kira," Athrun remarked. "When you fell into that lake, and all those flies starting buzzing around you."

"You got wet too!" Kira snapped.

"Now who's bantering during battle?" Shinn joked.

Kristoff and Lunamaria took out a set of drones together. "I don't know how you put up with those two, sir," she told him.

"Focus, people!" Kristoff snapped. "Less talking, more shooting!"

Meanwhile, on the rear of Sovereign's exterior, a small, angular, fighter-like ship detached and flew off on its own. Soon after, Sovereign-Elsa launched out from Sovereign as well, flying towards the small craft. She closed her eyes, sending a signal to the ship through her implants.

The ship transformed into what could best be described as an unholy combination of a Reaper, a Geth, and a Mobile Suit: a sleek black humanoid mecha with red detailing, slender limbs, and angular features. The suit's chest opened up and Sovereign Elsa flew into it, connecting herself to the mecha's controls as the cockpit-like covering closed over her.

Kira looked over at it. "Uh, guys? I think we're in trouble."

The interior of the suit glowed red around Sovereign-Elsa, and she smirked. "Revenant online." The mecha's eyes glowed red, and it unsheathed a large orange beam sword, holding it in its right hand. Its left hand slid away into its arm, and a twin-barreled cannon took its place.

"What the fuck is that thing?!" Shinn exclaimed in horror.

"Better question," Luna added. "Since when do the Geth have goddamn Mobile Suits?"

"Saren must've shared the tech with Sovereign," Kristoff theorised.

Kira clutched his controls. "Well, whatever it is. It's going down!"

There was static over the comms, followed by Sovereign-Elsa's voice: "As you can see, my technology is far superior to your own. Surrender, and your deaths shall be swift and painless."

"Since when do you need armour to fight us?" Kristoff goaded.

"I anticipated that my herald would need to lead the Geth into combat against the organics. Saren suggested a device called a Mobile Suit. I analyzed his memories, and was able to construct such a device. A pity he did not live to see it; I find it rather fitting that this, the pinnacle of your technological advancement in warfare, would be used to destroy you."

"Not on my watch!" Kira cried. He flew towards Sovereign-Elsa with full speed, but the giant suit grabbed Kira with its massive claws, ripping apart its thruster section.

"Kira!" Athrun exclaimed. He tried to rescue his boyfriend, only to be knocked back by a blast from the Revenant suit.

"Your emotions make you weak," Sovereign-Elsa said.

"Leave my boyfriend and brother alone!" a voice cried. Cagali flew into the fray in a small Skygrasper fighter, launching a few missiles at the Revenant.

"Cagali, get away!" Kristoff warned.

"No!" she snapped. "I'm not gonna lose them!"

Sovereign-Elsa chuckled. "As I said, your emotions make you weak." Sovereign's laser turned on Cagali's fighter, blasting its engines.

"I'm hit!" Cagali cried. Mere seconds later, the fighter exploded in a ball of fire.

Luna charged forward, drawing a beam sword of her own. "I don't care if you're Captain Frost or not," she growled. "Your hands are stained with the blood of millions of innocent lives. And for that...you're going to DIE!"

Sovereign rammed its beam saber into the torso of the Impulse, damaging it severely.

"Luna!" Shinn cried.

"Luna, eject now!" Kristoff ordered.

"I'm trying to!" Luna replied. The legs of her suit detached and, just as the torso exploded, the core fighter of the Impulse ejected from it, narrowly saving Lunamaria's life.

Sovereign-Elsa frowned. "You are starting to bore me now. I shall finish you quickly." The horn-like crest on the giant Mobile Suit opened, and a wave of red energy spread out around it, sending electric shocks into the various suits.

Kira moved his controls around, but the suit didn't respond. "I can't move! It's shorted us out!"

"We're stranded, Admiral," Athrun reported.

"Now, you shall all watch as the rest of your kind is destroyed." With that, Sovereign-Elsa flew away from them.

Kristoff slammed his fist on his console. "DAMMIT!"

"Sir?" Luna asked concernedly. "Are you okay?"

Kristoff sighed. "No…no I'm not."

"It's alright, sir," Athrun said. "We did our best."

"Hello?" a staticky voice asked. "Can anyone hear me?"

"Cagali, is that you?" Kira asked.

"Yeah, I'm still here. I managed to eject in time."

"Are you alright?" Kristoff asked.

"Aside from a few scrapes and some bruised pride, I'm fine. My oxygen's running low, though."

"Well, don't worry," Kristoff said, taking his helmet off. "Hopefully, this battle will be over soon, for all our sakes."

"Admiral," Cagali said, "can I confess something?"

"What is it?" Kristoff asked.

The princess sighed. "I...I don't think I've ever been this scared before."

"Wait-really?" Kira asked incredulously. "After everything we've been through,  _this_  is what scares you?"

"Knock it off, Kira," Athrun snapped. "It's okay, Cagali, we're here for you."

"I'm not scared for myself," Cagali explained. "I'm scared for my people. For all the people of ORB. I was supposed to protect them from threats like Sovereign."

"Don't worry, kiddo," Kristoff said. "You've all done your best. And for the record, I'm glad I met you all back on ORB. I couldn't have asked for better pilots, or better friends."

"Thanks, sir," Kira said. "Now, can we just focus on getting out of this? I'm starting to feel a little cramped here."

"Stay in your suits for now. If worse comes to worst, go on EVA and try to breathe as slowly as possible. You'll use up less of your oxygen."

"Yes sir."

Kristoff sighed. "Elsa, If you're in that thing, you better get us out of this mess."

xXx

 

 **Author's note:** Just one more chapter to go, then the epilogue. I hope you all liked the Pharmercy proposal. They wont be marrying right away, but they will be wed at some point. Anyway next chapter right now!


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

 

Over on the Archangel, Liara had made her way to the ship's medical bay, where Angela and Ariel were still swamped with patients.

"Dr. T'soni!" Angela exclaimed as the Asari entered. "It's good to see you."

"Likewise," Liara replied. "How are things over here?"

"Pretty bad," Ariel said. "We could use an extra set of hands."

"I'll do what I can," Liara agreed.

"Good," Angela said, handing Liara a hypo-syringe. "Give this sedative to all the patients over on that end of the sickbay. They're on the mend, but they need to rest."

"Understood," Liara acknowledged. As Liara gave the injections to a variety of patients in the resting part of the sickbay, ranging from human to Turian to Arendellian, one particular patient caught her attention: a young woman with purple skin, pointed ears, and three fingers and toes, lying under a blue force field. She was wearing nothing but her underwear, with several bandages on her body. Liara vaguely recognised the woman's physical features, but couldn't quite put her finger on what species she belonged to. "Excuse me," she said politely. "Who are you?"

The woman looked up at her. "Hello, Liara. It's been a while."

Liara thought for a moment. She knew that voice. Just then, it finally clicked. "Tali? Tali'Zorah?"

"Right on the money," Tali chirped. "I bet you've never seen a Quarian without a suit before."

"No, I haven't," Liara admitted. "I'm surprised, actually."

"What were you expecting?" the Quarian asked jokingly. "My body to be covered in tentacles like you?"

Liara chuckled. "Very funny. Are you one of the patients who needs this sedation?"

"No, my part of sickbay is very crowded. And please don't reach through my containment field. I can't risk coming into contact with any foreign pathogens."

"I understand."

"By the way…give my congratulations to Angela. Fareeha got out of sickbay just now and before she went…well, she asked her to marry her."

Liara rolled her eyes. "I see my wife has a few role models."

"I hope we all survive this, Liara," Tali said.

"Me too. I'll come back soon, hopefully."

Liara then walked back to Angela, handing her the now empty hypo-syringe. "I've done my rounds."

"Good job," Angela told her. "Ariel needs some help with some Asari pilots. Some squadrons got hit pretty bad in the early waves."

"I'll be right on it," Liara said. "By the way, congratulations…from myself and Tali."

Angela chuckled. "It seems news spreads fast."

"Take it from me," Liara replied. "You'll look good under a veil."

"I'll keep it in mind," Angela acknowledged.

xXx

 

Meanwhile, a small Zetan shuttle had left the Minerva, with Shepard and her team onboard. They were heading down to the inner ring of the Citadel, the Presidium, to rescue whoever they could.

"You alright flying this ship, Joker?" Shepard asked her pilot.

"Please," Joker remarked. "I've flown bathtubs with holographic wings. If it has a seat and controls, I can fly it."

"Just making sure," Shepard replied. She looked over at her team, consisting of Garrus, Ashley, Wrex, Kaidan, and Fareeha. They weren't much, but Shepard knew she could count on every one of them.

"Good to have you back, Shepard," Garrus said to her. "I was getting bored with being back at C-Sec."

"I'd call that sport!" Wrex replied. "The scum of society being brought down by a fierce warrior."

"Well, they were just pickpockets and muggers, really," Garrus went on. "But this? Fighting the real bad guys? This is the kind of thing I signed up for."

"I guess shore leave hasn't dimmed your sights," Shepard remarked. She walked over to Fareeha, who was staring out of the shuttle's window. "You okay, Commander Amari?"

Fareeha nodded. "Yes, I'm fine." She gestured to the large, double barreled assault rifle in her hands. "You sure you don't have a rocket launcher? I'm not exactly used to a rifle."

"Sorry, Wrex and Vega are usually the ones to call dibs on the bazooka," Shepard told her.

"Shame." Fareeha smirked. "But this will have to do."

"You holding up alright?"

"I have a few things on my mind," Fareeha admitted. "Before I came out here, I…proposed to Dr. Ziegler, and she said yes. I'm not sure if I made the right choice there."

"Well, no turning back now," Shepard replied. "Besides, you two make a great couple."

"Just like you and Dr. T'soni," Fareeha said with a wink.

"Heads up people!" Joker called from the cockpit. "We've got company!"

"Prepare to drop!" Shepard ordered. "Commander Amari, can you give us some covering fire?"

"I'll try my best," Fareeha agreed.

The Zetan shuttle flew down towards the streets of the Presidium, the doors on its sides opening and Shepard's team leaping out, with Fareeha taking off into the air. As Shepard's team landed, they found themselves in a whole squad of Geth.

"Oh, look: the welcoming committee," Wrex remarked.

"I don't think this is gonna be a warm welcome," Ashley added.

"Okay, boys and girls, let 'em have it!" Shepard instructed.

Shepard's team opened fire on the Geth troops, destroying them with ease. Fareeha flew across the area, pelting the Geth with blasts from her rifle and missiles from the ports on her Raptora flight suit.

As the last Geth dropped, Shepard and her team marched forward. "Shepard, I've done a scan of the area," Kaidan reported. "C-Sec have managed to move a lot of civilians over to their HQ, but the councilors are in the embassies."

"Of course. Emergency procedure," Garrus said. "The Citadel Tower will be on lockdown, to confuse attackers about where the Council will be."

"Then we'd better get to the embassies," Shepard agreed. "Everyone, let's move out!"

xXx

 

Anna flew through space in her true form, her flight armour coated by a shield made of her own Knydaxian energy. After Javik had taken the Normandy down to the Citadel to help evacuate the civilians, she had taken it upon herself to fend off the Geth fighters swarming the Archangel.

As she blasted the fighter squadrons that were attacking the Archangel, she had a moment of contemplation. A part of her slightly wished that Elsa had never taken that last bit from the Catalyst matrix; that on Arendelle, she could have flown out and saved Elsa from Sovereign's tractor beam. If she had done that, Elsa wouldn't have been taken, and wouldn't now be the enemy's pawn.

Just then, she saw an Asari fighter under fire from Geth interceptors. It had clearly been separated from its squadron-either that, or the rest of it's squadron had been eliminated. It didn't matter why it was alone; it was vulnerable, and Anna wouldn't let any more lives be lost this day.

She flew over to the fighter, destroying the pursuing Geth ships and landing on the fighter's hull. "Excuse me, are you alright?" she asked the pilot.

The pilot turned her head. "Yes…but my squadron…."

"Don't worry about that now. You need to get to safety," Anna told her. "Are your engines working?"

The pilot looked at her console. "My port thruster is out. It's going to make landing difficult."

"Leave that to me," Anna replied. She then grabbed the side of the fighter, directing it on a course for the Archangel's hangar.

The Asari pilot stared in amazement. "How… how in the name of the goddess are you doing that?"

"I'm a Knydaxian. With me, almost anything is possible," Anna informed her. "Keep your engine running. I can't do this by myself, you know."

"Alright, I got it," the pilot agreed.

Anna escorted the fighter to the Archangel, setting it down in the ship's hangar. The Asari pilot got out and removed her helmet, wiping the sweat from her brow. As she did so, Anna noticed that there was a black marking over her eyes. "Thank you, Knydaxian."

"My name is Anna," Anna told the Asari, transforming back into her normal form. "What's yours?"

"Pelessaria B'Sayle," she introduced herself. "But my friends call me Peebee."

"Well, Peebee," Anna said, "you should get yourself cleaned up."

Peebee smiled. "Thank you…Anna."

"My pleasure," Anna replied, transforming and flying back out to rejoin her comrades.

xXx

 

Out in the battle, Eric had moved the Minerva closer to the Citadel, providing covering fire for any civilian ships fleeing the battle. "Meyrin," he asked his comm officer. "Has Commander Shepard's team found the Council yet?"

"Not yet, sir," Meyrin reported.

"Damn; we need to get moving. That thing's moving too close to the Citadel, and we have to get back in the fight."

Just then, a hologram of Garrus Vakarian appeared. "Captain Ansaris, we've gotten to the Council, but Commander Amari's been injured by Geth laser fire."

"Shit! Have you made it to the rendezvous point?"

Eric then heard a loud roar that sounded like Wrex over the hologram.

"Umm, we'll get back to you, Captain," Garrus said hurriedly before closing the channel.

xXx

 

Over on the Citadel, Garrus and the rest of Shepard's team were pinned down by some Geth troopers in an alleyway, with the members of the Alliance council behind them.

"Keep those councilors protected!" Fareeha ordered. "Gugh!" She clutched the wound on her chest.

"Steady, Commander," Ashley said, holding an omni-tool over Fareeha's wound to administer medi-gel. "You took a pretty bad hit there."

Fareeha groaned. While they were rescuing the councilors, a Geth heavy had opened fire with a gatling laser and torn through her shields, ripping her armour. "How am I going to break this to my fiancée?"

"You won't have to," Shepard said. "We're getting out of here. Wrex, do your thing!"

"You don't need to tell me twice!" Wrex remarked, opening fire with a rocket launcher. "Hey politicians, if I save your asses here, would you consider giving the Krogan another planet?"

"There's a time and place, Wrex!" Garrus said.

"Yeah, yeah, but when you see an opportunity you can't resist, you take it."

"We may consider it, Urdnot Wrex," Therissa Thessalayne stated. "Provided we all survive this."

"At this rate, Madam Councilor," Shepard told her, "that should be very soon."

At that moment, all of them heard a deep rumbling from above

"Welp, we're boned," Wrex muttered.

"You were saying something about us surviving this, Shepard?" Garrus inquired.

Shepard groaned. "Well, isn't that just prime."

xXx

 

The Crucible began to approach the Citadel tower, a forward section on the device opening and latching onto the tower, connecting the two objects together. Sovereign-Elsa descended from her mobile suit, the weapon flying off on its own to take part of the battle. She landed in front of a control console near the top of the tower, her feet magnetising to its surface. "And now…let the apocalypse begin."

Sovereign-Elsa's eyes glowed green as she interfaced with the system using the Prothean matrix, sending a wave of energy throughout the whole station. The Citadel's massive arms started to open out, making the station appear like a giant flower. She then projected a massive hologram above her position, hacking into the communications of the entire Alliance fleet. "Attention, organics. I am Sovereign. You will all soon be harvested, and become part of the great cycle of evolution. Make peace with your gods."

Angela watched from a viewscreen in the sickbay, heartbroken at Elsa's voice coming out of such a monstrous being. "Elsa…" she murmured.

Ariel looked at the screen. "Great Poseidon…."

"Know that this form you care for was the one that brought you down," Sovereign-Elsa went on. "You call yourselves strong, but my kind has done the same to billions of other races. You are no different; you are insignificant."

Kristoff looked out from the cockpit of his offline Mobile Suit. "This can't be happening."

"And once the Protheans' actions are undone," Sovereign-Elsa declared, "you shall all be the first to taste our wrath."

Javik looked up at the sky, scowling at the mention of his people's names.

"STOP!" a pair of voices cried out. Kiara and Sapphira flew towards Elsa, both in their  _ikaru_  forms.

Sovereign-Elsa turned around. "You cannot stop it now, organics. The Catalyst has already been integrated. Soon the Crucible will pierce the dimensional barrier, and the rest of my kind will be free at last."

"That's not going to happen, Sovereign," Kiara snarled.

"Yeah, what my sister said!" Sapphira added defiantly

"Then I shall merely have to end you right here and now," Sovereign-Elsa remarked. She closed her eyes and the tendrils emerged from her back and surrounded her body, transforming her and expanding her armour until her whole body was covered by Sovereign's technology. "Come now, and face me!"

Sapphira closed her eyes. "Sis, can you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"That power…from the weapon…I can feel it inside of us."

"You think we can…do it?" Kiara asked. "Go full power?"

Sapphira smirked. "I know we can do it."

Kiara took a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing."

The two Knydaxians closed their eyes and began chanting in their native tongue, the energy of the Crucible surrounding their forms and radiating around them. Energy began to spark around the two sisters, their powers growing stronger.

With a blazing flash of bright light, Sapphira transformed into a shimmering golden being with spiky hair, shimmering golden skin, glowing blue eyes, and angelic white wings unfurling from her back. Kiara transformed as well, although her form, instead of wings, had a pair of tentacle-like protrusions on her back, and her hair wasn't spiked up.

"I am Sapphira!" Sapphira shouted. "Goddess of Light!"

"I am Kiara," Kiara declared. "Goddess of Justice!"

Sovereign-Elsa smirked. "This changes nothing. My power still exceeds yours"

"We'll see about that!" Sapphira shot back. "Ever hear the name Commander Hans? This is the form that finished him off!"

Sapphira then charged at Sovereign-Elsa, the altered Arendellian knocking her back with a blast from her hand.

Kiara opened her hand and a large sword of blue energy appeared in it. "Justice prevails here!" She swung her weapon down on Sovereign-Elsa's head, knocking her back slightly.

Sovereign-Elsa chuckled. "You dare hurt me? Even though your parent is inside of me?"

"My mother may be inside of you, but I know she's fighting, and if she dies today, then she'll see you in hell!" Kiara cried, slamming her blade into Sovereign-Elsa.

As Sovereign-Elsa flew back, Sapphira charged out, punching her in the jaw. "And that's for all the lives you've taken!"

Sovereign-Elsa fired a volley of blasts at Sapphira, but the young hybrid used her wings to block the attacks, giving Kiara an opening to attack Sovereign-Elsa again. Kiara made full use of the opportunity, swinging her blade full-force into the being's gut.

Sovereign-Elsa was pushed back again, but there was not a dent on the monster's armour. "You will not defeat me. And now that I have studied how you fight…." The creature's hands opened, firing a wave of red energy that sent the two sisters flying into a wall.

Kiara and Sapphira groaned and Sovereign-Elsa flew over to them, her armoured mask removing itself to show her face. "It's over, daughters," Elsa said in her own voice, but clearly still under Sovereign's control. "You belong to Sovereign now."

"Mom…" Kiara groaned.

"We will fight!" Sapphira said.

"Haha!" Sovereign-Elsa cackled, the modulation returning to her voice. "Hans was nothing compared to me, and even at your full power, you both are just as weak as he was."

"She's right, sis," Kiara said. "Even with the two of us in this state, we can't keep it up for long."

"Accept it, hybrid scum," Sovereign-Elsa taunted. "You've failed."

"That's where you're wrong, fucknuts," Sapphira retorted. "Because as I once told Hans, there's one thing we have that you don't."

"And what is that, Sapphira Frost-Ansaris?" Sovereign-Elsa inquired.

Sapphira held Kiara's hand tightly, looking at her sister and nodding. "Family."

"We have no need for such a concept," Sovereign-Elsa stated.

Kiara then looked at Sapphira. "Sis, I need to tell you something." She sighed. " _Jai toku ke._ "

Sapphira smiled. "I know.  _Jai toku ke nii_."

Tears formed in Kiara's eyes. "I won't let us die. No matter what it takes, I'm gonna save the future…I'm gonna save you."

Sapphira stroked her cheek. "Then let's do this together. For our family."

The two sisters embraced and kissed each other's lips, and a blinding blue light burst forth from them.

Sovereign-Elsa was blinded by the light in front of her. When it faded, a strange being stood before her, bathed in a silvery light. The tattoos on its body, once gold, now glowed pure white. Tentacles grew from one side of its back, and an angelic wing from the other. The being opened its silvery eyes, a warm smile on its face. "Behold, the union of the Frost sisters," it said in a voice that sounded as if Sapphira and Kiara were speaking in unison. "I am Saiara!"

"You... fused?"

"That's correct, Sovereign," Saiara answered. "And now you shall see what real power tastes like!" Saiara then flew forward and grabbed Sovereign-Elsa, slamming her into the side of the Crucible. In doing so, she damaged an access port, revealing a beam of pure energy underneath.

Saiara glared at the being that had once been her mother. "Let my mother go. NOW."

Sovereign-Elsa could feel herself getting weaker; having to split her focus between her own form and this vessel was beginning to tire her. But since her plans were nearly at fruition, she no longer felt that this vessel was needed. "Very well. I shall free her…but I shall send her to oblivion as well!"

"No!" Saiara cried.

"Not so fast,  _veran_!" a voice cried out. At that moment, Anna arrived on the scene. She looked over at Saiara, confused. "Who are you?"

"Hello, Mama," Saiara answered.

Anna's eyes widened. "Sapphira? Is that you?"

She nodded. "And Kiara too. My name is Saiara. Both of your daughters are a part of me."

Sovereign-Elsa chuckled. "A touching reunion, but it will do no good!" She held up her hand, a small trigger inside of it. "This form has a termination implant. I will activate it and return to my original form, to complete the process of activating the Crucible."

"And kill my  _nira_  in the process?" Anna replied angrily. "I don't think so."

"Do you see this?" Saiara asked. "This is something the Reapers will never be able to equal. The bond of our family."

"Why do you continue to resist?" Sovereign-Elsa asked. "You are beaten, and your emotional bond cannot save you from our harvest."

"That's where you're wrong," Saiara retorted, grabbing Sovereign-Elsa by the throat, her tentacles pinning the cyborg's arms to the wall by the exposed energy beam. "This bond makes us stronger than you will ever be, Sovereign. And I know that somewhere, deep inside of this stolen body, my mother feels that strength. And she  _will_  fight you."

"Go ahead," Sovereign-Elsa taunted. "Drop me into that beam. You will have your victory, but it will be at the cost of the organic you call Elsa."

"No, Saiara, don't do it," Anna said. "Let me deal with this."

"Mama, I can finish this," Saiara argued.

"No, it's Elsa who Sovereign has taken over, and I'm the one to deal with her."

Saiara released Sovereign-Elsa from her grip, and Anna walked over to the cyborg Arendellian. "Elsa…I don't know if you can hear me, but I know you're in there."

"There is no Elsa!" the cyborg spat. "I am Sovereign!"

"I'm not asking you to fight; that would be pointless. But I will save you, just like you saved me all those years ago." Anna pressed her hand on Sovereign-Elsa's chest. " _Auveka, ja'tou tudko_ ," she said, tears in her eyes. " _Jai toku ke_." Anna then kissed Sovereign-Elsa's lips.

Sovereign-Elsa pushed Anna back, rearing back with her claw to punch her, but stopped. Her eyes turned blue for a brief moment, and in her normal voice, she whispered, "Anna…help me…."

"Elsa?" Anna gasped.

"Please…save…." The claw then grabbed Anna, pulling her into Sovereign-Elsa's embrace as the cyborg threw both herself and Anna into the conduit.

"Mama!" Saiara cried.

As the energy in the conduit began to tear their bodies apart, Anna leaned close to Elsa, kissing her wife for what she believed would be the final time. Saiara then flew into the conduit and rescued her mothers, the residual energy causing her to de-fuse into Sapphira and Kiara.

Sapphira appeared with Elsa and Kiara with Anna. The energy from the conduit had overloaded the control circuits in the cyborg's implants, freeing Elsa from the Reaper's control. Her skin was now turning a very pale grey, and both she and Anna were unconscious.

The sisters then heard a loud cry of pain as Sovereign's main form detached from the Crucible. It seemed as if the loss of Elsa had physically harmed it, and it was now reeling in pain.

"Let's get out of here!" Sapphira exclaimed.

xXx

 

"Admiral," Kira Yamato noticed out of the Strike Freedom's cockpit. "Sovereign's damaged. It appears to be weakened."

"And the Crucible looks like it's gonna overload," Kristoff said. "This is our chance!" He tapped his commbadge. "Alliance fleet, this is Admiral Kristoff Bjorgman. Sovereign is vulnerable! Hit that monster with everything you've got!"

Sapphira and Kiara took their mothers away from the scene as the Alliance ships opened fire on Sovereign, destroying the monster once and for all in a massive fireball. The Crucible exploded as well in a massive wave of green energy, one that temporarily disabled some ships in the Alliance fleet before travelling off into deep space.

Kiara looked back at the explosion, smiling in satisfaction. "I did it, Lena," she murmured to herself. "I did it." She then looked down at Elsa, who was as limp as a rag doll in Sapphira's arms. "How's Mom looking?"

"She seems stable," Sapphira answered.. "I just hope Angela can fix her."

Kiara pressed the commlink on her wrist. "Kiara to Archangel. Prepare sickbay for immediate arrival. We've rescued Captain Frost; I repeat, we have rescued Captain Frost."

xXx

 

 **Author's note:** Elsa is saved! But will she be okay? Find out right now!


	19. Epilogue

Epilogue

 

_Medical log, stardate 50249.1: Dr. Angela Ziegler speaking. Captain Elsa Frost has been safely returned to us, and the monster controlling her has been destroyed. I am trying to remove her implants as I speak, but I am not making any guarantees._

Anna and her daughters waited outside of the Archangel's medical bay. They had been there for at least a few hours, waiting for any news on Elsa.

"Do you think Mom will be okay?" Sapphira asked.

"I hope so," Anna said, putting her hand on Sapphira's shoulder. "That was a very brave thing you two did, jumping into that conduit to save us both."

"We had to," Kiara said. "Neither of us wanted to lose you."

Anna smiled. "I'm proud of you both. What about your golden power, and that fusion thing you did?"

"I think we can still do it now," Sapphira answered. "It'll take a lot of effort, but I think we can do it."

"I suppose one good thing came out of all this," Anna remarked, holding her daughters close. "Or should I say, two good things."

Kiara sighed. "I just hope Mom is okay."

Meanwhile in the sickbay, Elsa gently opened her eyes, her whole body feeling like it had been drained of energy. "W…where am I…?"

Angela smiled. "Welcome back, Your Majesty. You're on the Archangel."

Elsa smiled weakly. "It's…good to see you again, Angela. My family…are they safe?"

She nodded. "They're outside, waiting for you."

"Tell them to come in. I…wanna see them."

Angela nodded. "Very well." She walked to the door and opened it. "She's awake," she said to Anna. "She wants to see you."

Anna and the girls went into the sickbay. " _Nira?_ " Anna asked.

Elsa smiled. "Hello, Anna. Did you miss me?"

Anna's eyes filled with tears, and she rushed over to Elsa, hugging her wife tightly. As she held Elsa's head in her hands, she could still feel cold metal attached to Elsa's skin. "Elsa…are you sure you're alright?"

Elsa nodded. "Yeah. I'm me again."

"But you still have some of the implants," Anna said. Some of the implants that were on Elsa's face were still attached, notably one just above her eye.

"I haven't been able to remove all of the implants," Angela explained. "I'm afraid some more extensive surgery will be required to remove them from Elsa's body."

"It's okay." Elsa then sighed. "At least I'm not under the control of that monster anymore."

"You knew you were under control?" Kiara asked.

Elsa nodded. "Yeah. It was like…how do I put it? It was like Sovereign had taken over the controls, and he had me tied to a chair and forced me to watch."

Anna hugged her wife. "I'm sorry, Elsa. That must have been awful."

"It was," Elsa replied. "I've seen some horrible things in my lifetime, but…that took the cake."

Kiara smiled. "We're just glad you're back to being you again, Mom."

Elsa ruffled her daughter's hair. "I'm glad to be back, Kiara. Angela, am I alright to go and say hello to everyone?"

"Yes, but there are still some implants on your legs, so you may feel a bit stiff. I'd suggest using crutches."

"No, I'll help her," Anna said. She helped Elsa out of her bed and put her arm around her wife's shoulder.

Elsa chuckled. "Always looking out for me, aren't you, Anna?"

"You could say that," Anna said. "Where do you want to go first?"

"The bridge," Elsa told her.

"Ask and you shall receive," Anna remarked, escorting Elsa out of the room.

Sapphira smiled. "She really is back to normal."

"Yeah," Kiara replied. "I still can't believe it."

Elsa and Anna headed up to the bridge together, Anna letting Elsa lean on the elevator wall. "So…how are things now that this whole ordeal is over?"

Anna sighed. "Not great, to be honest. The remaining Geth shut down when Sovereign was destroyed, but there was a lot of damage to the Citadel."

"Did we lose anyone?"

"Yes, but thankfully, we were able to keep the casualties to a minimum. Angela had Ariel and Dr. T'soni helping her."

"Remind me to give them all medals," Elsa remarked.

The two of them arrived at the bridge, seeing everyone there waiting for them.

Kira and Athrun walked over to Elsa. "It's nice to have you back, Captain Frost," Kira said cheerfully.

Elsa smiled. "Good to see you as well, Mr. Yamato."

Angel appeared as well. "I'm glad to see you're alright, Captain."

"Thanks, Angel," Elsa replied. "Where's Kristoff?"

"He's meeting with the Council in the conference room."

"Thank you," Elsa acknowledged. Elsa and Anna went into the conference room, where Kristoff was meeting with the council via hologram. "Hey, Elsa," he greeted her. "Glad to see you're okay."

The council members, however, didn't say anything, and merely regarded Elsa with cold, impassive stares.

"Glad to be back," Elsa said. She then turned to face the councilors. "Am I interrupting, councilors?"

Therissa Thessalayne shook her head. "No. In fact, we're glad to see you, Captain Frost. We were just discussing you."

"What about me?"

"Frankly, Captain," Councilor Sparatus stated, "your reputation is tarnished, to say the least. Nearly every ship in the fleet saw you in command of that…Reaper, and as such, a lot of people are blaming you for what happened."

Elsa looked down. "I can understand that."

"We, of course, know you are innocent of such crimes," Councilor Ingrid said. "But we do not speak for everyone in the galaxy."

"As much as I hate to say it, they're right," Kristoff put in. "I've had dozens of reports from other officials in the military calling for you to step down as captain."

Elsa sighed. "I see."

"Just so you know, I'm with you, and so is everyone else."

"Thank you, Kristoff," Elsa replied.

Anna looked up at the Council. "So…you want her to just quit?"

"Not at all," Therissa said. "We were only relaying the facts to Captain Frost. In fact, we admit we did wrong by holding you all back here on the Citadel."

"It's alright, councilors," Elsa said. "I get the message."

"Then there is nothing further to discuss," Therissa stated. "Goodbye, Captain."

As the holograms faded, Kristoff gave Elsa a hug. "I'm sorry, Elsa."

"Don't be," she replied. "They had a point. I was leading an army to take over the galaxy; they can't have someone with that kind of reputation as the captain of the flagship."

"If you want to talk to Ariel about it, go right ahead, she's probably better with things like this than me or Anna."

"He's right," Anna added. "You go and talk to Ariel."

Elsa smiled. "I will. Angel? Can you locate Ariel for me?"

Angel appeared in the room. "She's in her quarters right now, Captain."

xXx

 

Meanwhile in engineering, Melody Ansaris was working on repairs to the warp core with her team. The Archangel's warp engines had been damaged during the battle, and were in urgent need of repair.

"The drive core is fried, ma'am," one of her technicians reported. "It could take days to repair."

Melody groaned. "I wish Tali were here."

As if on cue, the door slid open, and Tali walked into the room. She was dressed in a brand-new enviro-suit and helmet, with yellow detailing along with the usual black and purple.

Melody's eyes lit up. "Tali!"

Tali smiled under her helmet and hugged Melody. "Hey, Melody. Sorry I'm late. My new suit just arrived." The Quarian saluted. "But here I am. Tali'Zorah vas Archangel, reporting for duty."

Melody smiled. "It's good to have you back, Tali. We were kinda needing your help here."

Tali activated her omni-tool. "Relax; I'm a Quarian. I can take a piece of scrap metal and make it travel at warp speed. This will be no problem."

Melody giggled. "Atta girl."

xXx

 

Down in the Archangel's hangar, Sapphira and Kiara were walking together, Kiara dressed in her flight armour.

"Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?" Sapphira asked.

Kiara smiled. "Yeah, besides, this place was getting a bit too big for two of us anyway."

Sapphira smiled. "I am gonna miss you, though."

Kiara gave Sapphira a tender kiss. "Not if you remember that," she said. The AGE-2 Mobile Suit moved into launch position, and Kiara walked up to it. "You sure you won't be missing this?"

"Nah, it never gets used much anyway," Sapphira said. "Just go easy on it in fighter mode. Complex maneuvers tend to make it rattle a bit."

"I'll keep it in mind," Kiara said.

"Where exactly are you gonna go?"

"Just gonna explore the galaxy a bit. But don't worry; if you need me, just give me a call."

Just then, Tracer came speeding into the hangar. "Looks like I'm just in time!"

"Lena?" Sapphira asked. "I thought you were getting ready for the party."

"I was, but then Merida told me Kiara was about to go so I had to come and say goodbye."

Kiara sighed and walked over to Tracer. "Lena, I appreciate it, but I made things clear when I first came. You aren't the same Lena I knew. You don't have to be there for me."

"I know, but still," Tracer kissed her cheek. "I may not be  _your_  Lena, but I'm still  _a_  Lena. And thanks to you, I'll probably end up with a cute girl, just like your Lena did."

Kiara chuckled. "Just don't go for Merida."

"Why?"

"She's scary when she's turned on," Kiara joked. "At least, she was in my timeline."

Lena smiled. "I'll keep it in mind."

Sapphira gave Kiara another kiss. "Good luck out there, Kiara. I...I love you."

Kiara smiled. "Love you too, little sis. Keep Melody safe, will ya?"

Sapphira nodded. "I will, I promise."

Kiara then climbed into her Mobile Suit and launched out of the Archangel, setting her coordinates. "I've heard that Gallifrey is nice this time of year," she said to herself.

xXx

 

Meanwhile on the Normandy, Commander Shepard was sorting out getting her crew back together.

"Shepard! Did you mess with my seat?!" Joker complained. "Seriously, my butt groove is gone."

"Sorry, Joker," Shepard told him.

"It is alright Jeff, I can position the seat for your liking," EDI said to him.

Joker sighed. "No, no, it's fine. I'll deal with it."

At that moment, Javik walked up to Shepard with Liara. "Commander."

Shepard smiled. "Javik, what brings you back here?"

"Our Prothean friend wants to join up," Liara explained. "He's grown quite fond of me and you over these past few weeks."

"I can speak for myself, Asari," Javik told her before turning his attention to Shepard. "It is clear to me that you have need of a soldier such as myself."

"Well, we can never have too many badasses around here," Shepard remarked. She held out her hand. "Welcome aboard, Mr. Javik."

Javik shook her hand, a proud smile on his face.

xXx

 

In Ariel's quarters on the Archangel, Eric and Ariel had finally gotten a moment to themselves. They were lying naked in bed together, exchanging soft kisses.

Ariel smiled at her husband. "I'm so proud of you, Eric."

"And I'm proud of you too, my little mermaid," he cooed, reaching behind her back and gently grabbing her rear.

"Oooh!" Ariel gasped, followed by a giggle. "Seems you've missed me." She placed her hands on his cheeks, kissing his lips with deep, loving passion.

At that moment, the door to the room opened, and Elsa walked in. "Ariel?"

Eric and Ariel sat up, Ariel covering her breasts with her duvet. "Oh... Elsa."

Elsa chuckled. "Did I come at a bad time?"

Ariel smiled. "No, you didn't."

Eric looked at her. "Hey, Elsa. You look good."

"Thanks, Eric," Elsa replied.

Ariel put her underwear back on and wrapped herself in her dressing gown. "What can I help you with, Elsa?"

Elsa sat down in front of the couple. "Well, I wanted to talk to you about some things."

Eric started to get out of bed. "Do you want me to go, honey?" he asked Ariel.

Ariel shook her head. "No, Eric. From what I can sense from Elsa, you might be able to help as well."

"Alright." Eric sat next to his wife. "So what's up, Elsa?"

Elsa sighed. "Well, the Council has told me that…they want me to step down as captain."

"I heard about that," Eric said. "A lot of people don't exactly see you in a good light after what happened."

"What are your thoughts on that, Elsa?" Ariel inquired.

"I have a feeling that some people are right," Elsa said. "I was on that ship. I may have been under control, but I knew what my body, what Sovereign, was doing. But in the end, I don't want to leave the Archangel. This place has become my home, and all of you have become my family."

Ariel held Elsa's hand. "I know this is a difficult decision, but you must do what you think is best for us, and for you."

Elsa smiled. "Thank you, Ariel."

"And hey, no matter what, you'll always be my friend," Eric put in. "We're with you, every step of the way."

"I know," Elsa replied. "You're a damn fine officer, Eric. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Ariel kissed her husband. "And he's a damn fine husband too."

Eric chuckled. "And you're a damn fine wife."

xXx

 

Some time later, everyone was gathered in the Normandy's mess hall for another party-hopefully one that wouldn't be disrupted this time.

"I'm so glad to be among friends again," Lacus Clyne remarked as she sat with Cagali, Sapphira, and Melody. "And I'm glad this is all over as well."

"I couldn't agree more, Miss Clyne," Melody replied. "Honestly, I'm kinda sad Kiara skipped the party. The girls here are going to miss her."

"Nah, she's okay," Sapphira said. "She said she'd come visit us when she could."

Cagali held Lacus's hand. "I'm just happy that I don't have to worry about you every day, baby."

"Me too," Lacus said, kissing Cagali's lips. "You and Kira come visit me once my house on Eden Prime is sorted out, will you?"

"Sure, and Athrun can bring cookies," Cagali joked.

"He's a cook?"

"Yeah…but he kinda sucks at it."

Tali then walked over to them, using a filtration port on her new helmet to sip a drink through a straw. "Hey, girls."

"Hey, Tali," Sapphira remarked. "Love your new suit."

"Thank you. Came straight from the flotilla today."

"It's beautiful," Lacus complimented. "I'm surprised no one else has noticed it."

"Well, you never know," Sapphira pointed out. "I mean, things are pretty flexible around here."

"This is true," Lacus agreed.

"Well, I've gotten quite a few looks," Tali said.

"I bet one of them was Melody," Sapphira joked.

Melody blushed. "Well…maybe. So what if it was?"

Sapphira kissed her wife on the cheek. "Then I'd think it was cute."

Melody smiled. "I love you, Saph."

"I love you too, Melody."

Cagali smiled. "Awww, you two are the cutest."

"Nah, you and Miss Clyne are the cutest couple on this ship," Tali put in.

"Actually, I'd say that your mothers are the best couple on the ship," Lacus then told Sapphira. "I mean, they were an inspiration for the whole galaxy."

At that moment, Elsa and Anna arrived in the room. Angela, Ariel, and Fareeha walked over to meet them. "Glad you could make it, Captain," Fareeha said.

"Thank you, Commander Amari," Elsa replied. "And by the way, congrats to you and Angela." She pointed to the silver ring on Angela's finger.

Angela blushed. "Thank you, Elsa. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," Elsa replied simply. "Just very, very tired."

"I thought I told you to rest," Angela said with a smirk.

"I don't feel like resting," Elsa excused. "And besides, I have a statement to make."

"A statement?" Fareeha asked.

"Elsa, do you want to tell me first?" Ariel suggested. "I mean, I can gauge how people might react to whatever you're going to say."

Elsa shook her head. "No, I'll be alright. Just ask Kristoff to call everyone together for me, would you?"

Ariel nodded. "Of course."

Anna looked at her wife. They had discussed this beforehand, but Anna was still anxious. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Elsa nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. This is for the best."

Anna kissed Elsa passionately. "Just wanted to be sure you didn't have cold feet."

"Alright, everyone!" Kristoff called out. "Captain Frost has something important to say, so gather around!"

Everyone got up and walked over to Elsa, eager to hear what she had to say.

As the crew gathered up, Elsa cleared her throat. "Now, I know all of you are glad that we were able to resolve the crisis with Saren and the Reapers. But unfortunately, the Alliance Council is aware of, and doesn't approve of my involvement with said crisis. I know that you all support me and still stand with me despite what I was forced to do, but for the fact of the matter is, if I stay as captain, you will all be faced with the same persecution that I will, and that's something I wouldn't wish on any of you. You're the best crew I've ever served with-hell, you're the  _only_  crew I've ever served with. I couldn't have asked for better friends and family to be with. But I'm doing this for you, because I think this is best for all of us. Effective immediately, I'm stepping down as captain of the Archangel, and resigning my commission as an officer. I'm going home to Arendelle, so I can be with my wife."

Anna nodded. "Which means I'm gonna be resigning as well."

"As for the rest of you, Kristoff will taking my post as commanding officer, as he did before I came aboard. I know he'll be good for you. I hope you all understand my reasons for this, and support myself and Anna with this."

Sapphira stepped forward. "Mom…I wanna stay here, on the ship."

"I know, Sapphira. You want to be with Melody, and honestly, I don't blame you." Elsa walked over and hugged her daughter. "I love you so much, my sapphire. You're the best thing that ever happened to me and Anna. The Archangel needs to have a Frost on board."

"I love you too, Mom," Sapphira replied. "You're the best mother a daughter could ask for."

"I'm not embarrassing you in front of everyone, am I?" Elsa asked, slightly worried.

Sapphira giggled, hugging her mother tightly. "Of course not."

Anna joined in the hug. "I love you too,  _kokuri_."

"We're all with you, Elsa," Kristoff said. "I promise not to let the rest of this lot get into too much trouble without you."

"I know you won't, big guy," Elsa replied.

xXx

 

A couple of hours later, Elsa and Anna were in the Archangel's hangar, loading their belongings into a shuttle.

"Is that everything, Anna?" Elsa asked.

"I think so," Anna confirmed.

Elsa sighed. "I still can't help feeling bad for doing this, leaving everyone and all."

"It's alright," Anna assured her. "You'll see them again, I'm sure of it."

Sapphira and Melody walked down into the hangar bay. "Hey moms," Sapphira said.

Melody smiled. "Hello, Captain."

Elsa chuckled. "You can just call me Elsa now, Melody," she told her.

Sapphira smiled. "So…I guess you're ready to go, then."

"Your mother just finished packing," Elsa told her. "If you miss us, you can always call us, or come visit."

"I will, Mom." Sapphira hugged Elsa one last time. "I love you."

Elsa looked at her daughter, smiling at her with love. "I love you too, my daughter."

Anna smiled. "Elsa, we're all ready to go."

"On my way," Elsa accepted. She walked over to Anna and climbed into the shuttle, blowing Sapphira a kiss before she got aboard. The shuttle's engines then powered up and the craft took off out of the hangar, accelerating to warp.

"Goodbye, moms," Sapphira said, tears in her eyes.

xXx

 

The shuttle dropped out of warp over Arendelle, descending into the atmosphere.

Anna held Elsa's hand as she put the ship into a dive. "Looks like we're here."

Elsa smiled. "You know, back when we first met, I was considering moving back here."

"Then why did you stay on Aquatus?" Anna asked.

"Because I knew that you wanted a family with me, and that this place was just recovering from years of Zetan occupation. It wouldn't have been the best place to raise Sapphira."

"Aquatus did her just fine," Anna said. "After all, she did meet her wife there."

Elsa smiled. "That's true."

Anna looked down. "Elsa, are you feeling alright?"

Elsa sighed. "No, I'm not."

"Is it because of what we've done? Or what Sovereign did to you?"

"It's a bit of both, really," Elsa explained. "Honestly, I don't know how long it'll be before I recover fully from what happened."

Anna held Elsa's hand. "It's okay, Elsa. I'm here for you; I always have been. You're my wife, my sister, my special one. I love you."

Elsa looked at Anna and leaned close, kissing her lips. "I know, Anna. I love you too."

The shuttle landed near the royal palace. The city was still being rebuilt after the Geth attack, but the people's spirits seemed to be high.

As Elsa and Anna disembarked the shuttle, Rapunzel walked out to greet them. "Elsa, it's good to see you."

Elsa hugged Rapunzel. "Hello, cousin."

Rapunzel smiled as she hugged Elsa. "Welcome home."

Elsa teared up. "Yeah, whatever's left of it."

Rapunzel pulled away. "I heard about what happened at the Citadel…I'm so sorry."

Elsa sighed. "It's okay."

"Hello, Rapunzel," Anna said to her. "It's good to see you again."

"Good to see you as well, Anna," Rapunzel replied. "Well, I suppose I'll have the castle staff set up some quarters for you two."

"You do that," Elsa said.

As Rapunzel walked inside, Anna held Elsa's hand. "So…anything you wanna do first?"

"No," Elsa answered. "But I don't care, as long as I have you."

Elsa and Anna walked inside the castle, embarking on this new chapter of their life together. This adventure had taken its toll on them both. Now they could put it all behind them, and finally have some peace.

xXx

 

 **Author's note:** And so this chapter of the Last Knydaxian Saga comes to a close, but a new one will begin very soon indeed. Thank you all so much for reading and supporting these fics. I really means a lot to me. As for Elsa and friends, things will be looking up to them. This just the end of this chapter of their lives and I think, despite all things, Elsa is truly at peace now.

See you all next fanfic :3


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